Power to Strive III
by ii-Phoenix-ii
Summary: The Survey Corps group returns one last time and watches Attack on Titan Season 3 Part II. [No Pairings]
1. The Town Where Everything Began

**Chapter 1: The Town Where Everything Began**

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Shingeki no Kyojin

**Summary**: The Survey Corps group returns one last time and watches Attack on Titan Season 3 Part II. [No Pairings]

**READ THIS!** This story will contain manga-related SPOILERS and is NOT for ANIME watchers! It is the sequel to "Power to Strive" and "Power to Strive II" so read those two first or you'll be lost and confused!

* * *

"You're going to wear a hole into the ground."

Eren continued pacing in the empty mess hall. "What if the commander can't make it in time? What if he's five minutes late and the TV won't start?"

"He'll make it," Petra told him. "And if he doesn't, I'm sure the TV will still work."

_I hope so._ There were so many things yet to be discovered, so many questions still left unanswered. Not for the first time, his mind went over the strange memories that had left his younger self in tears in the first episode. No matter how much he wracked his brain Eren couldn't figure it out. Armin and Mikasa were equally stumped about it. "Hopefully, after everything that went down the past week, these future episodes will still be relevant."

"It would have been nice if they adjusted to the changes we've made so far, they would be more accurate, but we shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth."

"Yeah, I guess. We still have an overwhelming advantage."

"We should get going now," Petra said, standing. "Everyone else should be there already."

As a precaution, they'd decided to arrive at the room in separate groups and at different times. No one was willing to compromise the TV at any cost.

To their relief, everyone else was already present, including the commander, who had fortunately made it back from his trip just in time.

Sasha and Connie already had their plates piled with food, of course.

Everyone went to their respective spots. Jean, Armin, Mikasa, and Eren took the middle couch. On the left couch sat Sasha, Connie, Historia, and Ymir. Over on the right couch, Petra, Levi, Hange, and Erwin made themselves comfortable

"How's the package?" Levi asked the commander.

"Nice and secure under the watchful eye of Pixis and Mike's squad."

"We were worried for a bit there that you wouldn't make it." Hange held up the card in her hand. "Or someone might see this."

"Tell me about it," Jean said, patting his jacket's breast pocket. "I was so paranoid I took mine into the showers." He and the others hadn't wanted to risk tossing the cards into the fire in case it would un-invite them.

_I hope the future is still predictable and controllable from the changes we made._ Armin had laid awake in bed, running through all kinds of scenarios in his head, but ultimately, without watching the upcoming future episodes, they wouldn't know if it was still salvageable.

"Things went mostly according to plan." Historia mentally went over the differences between what they had seen on the TV and what had actually gone down. "And it was a considerable improvement over how things went originally."

"I'll say." At least half his family was alive this time, which Connie was eternally grateful for.

"Same." Ymir shrugged and said, "I'm still alive. Don't need to keep my secret from you all. Can't really complain." Although she still felt a kernel of guilt about leaving Reiner and the others to hang and dry. She'd made her decision and was sticking with it, though.

"It would be nice if the TV would show us more of what the Marleyans are planning." Mikasa was interested to learn more about their military structure. Based off of what Ymir had shared with them, the Warriors were notable figures, Marley's greatest weapons. "A good place to start to devastate them and begin crippling their military power is by taking more of the nine Titan powers for ourselves," she said.

"Agreed." Erwin hoped Reiner and Bertolt were still on the island. Possibly the Beast Titan, too. He didn't think Marley would be foolish enough to place all their eggs in one basket. Which meant the Survey Corps at least had a shot—a real chance thanks to the TV—to take those Titan powers from Marley if they played their cards right.

"Let's get started, then," Hange said, feeling amped up.

The excited whispers quickly hushed, eager to begin.

**_"_****_Welcome, everyone! Let's dive right into, shall we?" _****Candy cleared her throat. "****_Wall Maria contained one-third of humanity's remaining territory," _****she said, an image showed of the Colossal Titan peeking over Wall Maria. **

_Of course_. Jean thought, sighing. _Gotta begin with the symbol of our misery_.

**_"_****_Five years ago, when humanity lost this territory, from within the remaining two Walls, they realized: That they are not meant to continue living." _****Worn down tents filled the screen with despairing, starving people occupying them. The Armored Titan rammed through Maria's inner gate. ****_"After all, humanity cannot defeat the Titans."_**

**"****I'm going to drive out every last one from this world," a young Eren declared, crying. **

**_"_****_However, one young man gripped that small blade held in his heart…and thrust it into a Titan, pounding its massive head into the ground."_**** Mikasa took down an Abnormal Titan while a crowd of civilians watched her, stunned. ****_"When humanity saw this, what did they think?"_**

**Next scene showed Mikasa gripping a broken sword, about to face off against a Titan without functioning gear. ****_"Some were proud."_**** Armin smiled. ****_"Some held hope." _****In the stomach of a Titan, Eren held up his stump of an arm. ****_"Some cried out in anger." _**

**An orange sun lit up Wall Maria with Eren, Mikasa, and Armin looking over the horizon. **

"Wait, what is that thing?" Petra asked, eyeing the structure running along the length of the Wall.

Jean squinted, trying to figure it out. "It's kinda hard to tell." The shadows from the setting sun were masking a lot of it.

"Maybe it's for maintenance or something?" Eren offered, more interested in what was to come rather than a rundown of things they'd already seen.

"This must be at least a few months into the future," Hange said, taking into account how long it would take to get permission from the Royal Government to make such an addition to the Wall then physically building that machine. "Probably more."

"Let's keep watching," Levi suggested, curious about the machine himself but he assumed they'd show it again if it was important.

"Wait, just give me one sec." Hange started to make a rough sketch. _This would be so much easier if Moblit were here_, she thought, missing her righthand man.

"Maybe the Garrisons are working on something," Historia said and they fell into a discussion, trying to guess what it was.

While the rest speculated about the machine, Erwin weighed the pros and cons of seeing a future that wouldn't happen for months at least, maybe even longer. They could plan well in advance but they also had to be careful about actually getting to that specific future. With the 57th Expedition and Ymir's retrieval, they were only days away from that future out in the real world when they watched it happen on TV. It was easy to manipulate things so the future would remain predictable enough then, their future knowledge of the events still very relevant. But with more time came more choices, thus an increase in the chances of the future being drastically altered if they unknowingly made different decisions._ It might not be as easy this time, getting things to go our way_.

"Okay, I'm good," Hange declared when she finished.

**_"_****_Then, if Wall Maria was retaken, what would humanity cry out?" _****Civilians watched from the ground as lifts carried soldiers and horses up to the top of the Wall. ****_"Would they finally start believing that humanity deserves to live?"_**

**Erwin mounted his horse. A legion of soldiers watched him. "Advance!" Erwin led the charge. **

**_"_****_That their fate is something they can decide?"_**** Jean, Sasha, and Connie rode together. Then appeared Eren, Mikasa, and Armin, followed by Hange and Levi. ****_"Will it be enough for them to believe? If only Wall Maria was retaken…"_**

And suddenly it clicked. "I think we might be watching the mission to retake Wall Maria," Armin rushed out in excitement.

"You really think we're here?" Sasha paused, then began eating quickly.

"Good idea." Connie began shoveling food into his mouth.

"What're you two doing?" Historia asked, quirking her eyebrows at their behavior.

"Filling up before things go to shit and kill our appetites," Connie explained with a full mouth. "Let's not forget the disaster that was the original 57th Expedition."

Jean prepared himself for the worst. "We could all die. This might be the end for us."

"Don't be so gloom and doom, Jean-boy."

"Don't get a big head just because you've got the Founding Titan, Eren. You can't use its full power."

"All that time planning and hoping, we're finally here," Petra marveled. "Well, sort of."

"Frankly, it just feels good knowing we've made it," Hange said, satisfied.

**Silvery-white light shone from flashlights as the soldiers moved through the forest in the middle of the night. Hoods up, they continued in silence. **

"What're they using?" Armin inquired, immediately interested in the contraption.

"Not torches. The light's white and too concentrated," Ymir said, curiosity clear in her voice. "I've never seen anything like it."

Historia was amazed at the neat little tool. "Just how far ahead in the future is this?"

"How fascinating. I wonder what they're made of. Gotta takes notes." Hange began writing. She wondered if there would be clues to when and how such a nifty little invention came to be.

"They seem a lot more effective than torches," Erwin noted, mind racing with all the potential uses of the gadget. "It would help make traveling through the night easier. Which means fewer casualties since the majority of the Titans won't be active without the sun."

**Levi glanced back when a soldier behind him cried out in surprise. "**

**Whoa!" The soldier tried to calm his horse as his flashlight went rolling on the ground. **

**"****Hey! You've gotta light up the ground!" Levi scolded him. **

**"****S-Sorry," he replied quickly. **

**"****We're not at the foot yet?" Levi asked the man next to him. "It's almost dawn."**

**"****Once we're over this mountain, Shiganshina's right there," Dirk responded, shining his light on the small folded map in his hand. **

"It's finally happening." It seemed too surreal to Eren. All those years, dreaming of this one thing, and they were about to watch it happen.

_Home_. Mikasa felt an odd ache in her chest. _We're going home._

"I don't feel ready for this." Sasha took a deep breath, hand over her heart.

"I know." Armin felt a mixture of nerves and anticipation. "I'm getting jittery just watching it."

**"****Sorry you're stuck with my horse," Eren said to Mikasa. **

**"****You're supposed to be saving your energy," she responded in a quiet voice. **

**"****Yeah, I know."**

**"****She's right," Connie spoke up from behind them. "Rest up, Eren."**

**"****Don't say his name, idiot," Jean chided him. **

**"****Oh, yeah, sorry."**

**"****Assume this place is swarming with enemies." Jean then noticed something and his expression twisted in surprised horror. "Titan on the left!" Jean said loudly. "Everyone halt!" **

**"****Light up the area!"**

**Three beams of light hit the silent Titan, who sat against a small pile of earth, not moving a muscle. The sound of blades being unsheathed cut through the air.**

"The expeditions would be so much easier and less lethal if we had those to light our way at night and we could kill the Titans while they slept on in ignorance," Historia said.

"Maybe." Jean imagined how the nightly incursions would go. "We'd have to find the Titans first and might need to turn their bodies to expose their napes. It'd be very slow and tedious work but in the long run, it'd be effective and definitely a lot safer." If they'd invented those things years ago, it may have worked. _But we just don't have the time for a slow, steady approach now. Not to mention there's bigger fish to fry. _

**"****It's alright," Hange said. "He's fast asleep. This lad must not be one of those new types that move at night." **

"And I guess there's the night Titans to worry about." Historia shuddered at the thought of stumbling upon a creepy Titan in the darkness.

**Hange let out a low chuckle. "That's too bad. Let him be."**

**Eren stared at the Titan as they walked past it. "I can't believe we didn't see it until we were so close to it," he said. **

**"****Yeah, I'm with you there. This moonless night must be protecting us," Hange theorized. "Light from the moon is reflected sunlight. The new type of Titan… We think they use that minuscule amount of reflected light to move. Using the new moon was the right move." **

**A flashback of Titans walking around Utgard Castle's ruins appeared. **

Connie and Historia cringed. "That was not fun," he muttered, remembering it.

**"****There's no guarantee we won't have a repeat of before. That lad may be one of those 'Moonlight Titans' for all we know." Light reflected off her glasses and Hange smiled, her tone pitching as she said dreamily, "Hope we capture one someday!" **

**Behind her, Eren stared at the grass in front of him. His hand, which gripped the flashlight, trembled. ****_I'm shaking? Why? What am I so scared of? Shit…_**** Darkness surrounded him completely as he began to descend into uncertainty.****_ If I screw up retaking Wall Maria because I'm like this, what then?! How many people will lose hope forever? _**

"I'm so glad I'm not in your guys' shoes." Sasha felt like hiding just at thought of the heavy burden Eren and Ymir had to bear, being their sole inheritors of Titan power. She was so glad they no longer expected her to take the Female Titan's power. _You might not be __completely__ out of the woods just yet_, an inner voice pointed out.

_You have more reasons to be glad than you think._ Ymir thought to herself at Sasha's words. There was just one secret left she was keeping from them—aside from Erwin and Hange. And probably Levi. Ymir was almost certain they'd have told him. In any case, she couldn't wait until they all knew. It sucked seeing their bright, hopeful faces, so optimistic about the future, and knowing how distraught they would be once they found out her and Eren's days were numbered, and there was no changing that.

**_There won't be a chance like this ever again! Am I not cut out for it after all?_**** Doubt filled Eren's inner voice. ****_Someone like me? How can I save humanity? Someone like me? How? _****His left hand gripped the wrist of his right arm, which kept shaking. **

**"****Eren…" Mikasa's eyes widened. **

**"****What are you shaking for?" Armin asked, leaning in. "Are you scared?" **

**"****Huh?! I'm not scared!" Eren said defensively, brows furrowed. **

"Anyone would be in that situation."

"I'm scared and I'm not even there."

"Same here."

**"****Huh? You're kidding… Look at your hand." **

**"****This is… It's cold!" Eren did not sound at all convincing. "My hand's freezing!"**

**Mikasa watched them without a word. **

**"****Really? My whole body's been shaking this whole time." Armin held up his trembling hand for display. "See?" **

**Eren stared it.**

**"****Eren, have you ever been afraid of Titans? Normally, everyone's terrified of them. Like me… The first time I faced a Titan, I couldn't move a muscle. But…there I was… And you pulled me right out of a Titan's mouth." Armin remembered Eren gripping his wrist to keep him from sliding further into the Titan's mouth. "How were you able to do something like that?" **

**After a few moments of silence, Eren finally answered. "I remembered…the time you showed me that book. Up until then, I never once thought about what was outside the Walls." **

**A young Eren sat, watching the clouds. ****_"I just spent every day staring at the clouds and the sky." _****Armin ran up to Eren, showing him a book. ****_"But then, I heard your story and looked into your eyes. You were seeing an awesome dream." _Little ****Armin smiled, explaining the book giddily to his best friend. ****_"But I had nothing. That's when I knew. I wasn't free." _****The two boys poured over the book between them. **

**_"Trapped in a small cage in a huge world, my freedom stolen by those unthinkable fiends."_**** Little Eren lay in his bed, the sheet pulled up to his nose, wide awake. ****_"When I realized that, I couldn't forgive them." _****He clenched the sheet tightly. **

Sasha chuckled, "Eren, you adorable little psycho."

"You were so cute as a kid," Historia said, smiling.

"I just wanna pinch his cheeks. Bet he'd get all mad and huffy." Connie laughed at the image in his head.

"Can we stay on track here, people?" Levi said before the conversation had a chance to devolve.

**Back in the present, they continued walking through the dark forest. "I don't know why, but when it comes to taking back freedom… Yes… Strength flows through me." Eren removed his hand from his wrist. No longer did his hand shake and he smiled. "Thanks for that," he said, voice steady. "I'm good now."**

**"****Mmm." Armin nodded. **

**"****I bet, by this time next year, we'll be looking at the ocean." **

**Mikasa stopped, checking their surroundings. "I recognize this area." Nine-year-old Mikasa carried firewood on her back as Eren touched his face, surprised by the tears, and sunlight shone off beautiful purple flowers. "I think…we came here for firewood."**

**Eren looked up at the trees. **

It reminded Armin of Eren's weird dream. Hopefully, the TV would shed some light on it. He'd yet to come up with any decent idea of what that had been. It was one thing for someone like Eren and Ymir to remember their predecessor's memories, but what they saw in the first episode was something else.

**"****I can see the foot!" A man's voice came from ahead. "There's signs of a trail!" **

**"****It's so close," Eren said, exchanging a look with Mikasa. **

**"****I can hear the river," Mikasa observed. **

**"****Finally, we're back…" Armin said. "The first time…since we fled from here. Back to our hometown…" **

"It's been a long time coming," Mikasa said in anticipation. It was what they had been training and striving for many years. _Now it's happening_. Would they succeed or fail? How many soldiers would lose their lives? Would she watch herself or Eren or Armin perish? There was always the possibility that none of them would make it out alive.

**The soldiers were close to the edge of the forest. Past the forest was a green, grassy field. The town at the base of the northern side of Wall Maria appeared as the sky began to lighten. Then appeared an overhead shot of the abandoned Wall Maria. **

* * *

**Slowly, the sound of horse hooves thundering across the grounds rose in volume during the early morning. **

**"****Be on guard for Titans hiding in the shadows!" Erwin advised and threw out an arm to the side. "Our operation begins now! All troops, switch to the 3D gear!" **

**The soldiers stood on their horses and began to take to the skies. Wires pulled the soldiers, taking them over the Wall. **

"My palms are sweaty already." Sasha wiped her hands on her pants.

Connie nodded. "I know. My heart's racing too."

"I wonder where I am in the formation." Historia had yet to see herself.

"Come to think of it, where are you?" Jean couldn't remember seeing the short girl anywhere. Then again, they had only just seen the commander. Historia would probably show up soon enough.

"Strange. But not all the rookies are in one place. Maybe you're with another group," Armin suggested.

Ymir wondered if it was too much to ask that Historia had maybe quit the military and decided to live a nice, quiet, and safe life as a civilian. _Probably not_.

**_"_****_There's two gates we must seal—the inner and outer,"_**** Erwin's voice narrated. An animated drawing of Wall Maria and its territory appeared. Two red circles appeared, one on the inner gate and one on the outer. ****_"With that, Shiganshina will be isolated. We'll exterminate any Titans left inside."_**** Red Xs crossed out the Titan drawings. **

**Balancing on his horse, Levi pulled out his swords. ****_"If the enemy knows our plan, they'll go straight after Eren, but…"_**** Levi and the soldiers behind him shot into the air. ****_"We'll have hoods covering the faces of all hundred of our soldiers."_**

**Erwin landed in a crouch atop the Wall. Behind the commander, over a dozen soldiers appeared.****_ "By the time they find out who Eren is, we'll have the outer gate plugged."_**

"How exactly do we plan on doing that?" Connie asked suddenly. "Has Eren mastered hardening? Or are we trying to do something like we did in Trost? Closing the gate using a massive boulder."

"That would have taken quite a lot of time to set up though, wouldn't it?" Mikasa couldn't recall anything about getting another boulder ready they could close Wall Maria with.

"While we're not sure _exactly_ how far in the future this is, it must be at least several months. Plus it'd take considerably less time to have a boulder that size readied with Eren's Titan helping out." Erwin thought about the many other different uses Titans had with their size and strength. _They could help rebuild houses, clear debris, and pave roads and lands_. After they reclaimed Wall Maria, if they could attain perfect control over the Pure Titans, it would be a tremendous help to have the giants get the people back on their feet. It would only be fitting. Undoubtedly, Ymir and Eren would probably also be happy about using their Titans to build and create rather than only cause death and destruction.

**Eren scaled the Wall and stood, looking out into the distance of his former home. Houses appeared in disrepair, and abandoned toys littered the street. His hands shook. Armin and Mikasa also stared when they landed on the Wall. **

**"****Don't stop!" Levi told them as he ran past the trio. "Head for the outer gate!" **

**"****Roger!" Eren took off after him, Armin and Mikasa following. **

**Armin stopped, noticing blackened residue near the edge of the Wall. ****_This is…the remains of a fire? _****He raised his arm to grab Erwin's attention. ****_They're here…and close! Bertolt and Reiner! _**

"Oh shit, we're getting right into it."

"Who're we going to lose this time? How many?"

"I'm not ready for this."

**Soldiers flew alongside the Wall, toward the outer gate. ****_My house is right around there. _****Eren thought, eyeing a neighborhood near the water. ****_That's where…we left everything behind._**

**Carla, Mikasa, Eren, and Grisha sat at the dining table. **

The image energized Eren. He didn't feel nostalgic or an empty hole in his chest he usually did at the happy reminders of their old lives, their blissfully ignorant selves. Instead, he felt hopeful and impatient to retake his home and build new happy memories.

**Eren looked back to see Mikasa flying, gaze focused ahead. ****_It's okay, _****he thought,****_ I'll take it all back! _**

**At Wall Maria's outer gate, soldiers peered through spyglasses, acting as lookouts. "This is all too strange… Not a single Titan in sight?" Hange stood next to Levi. **

**Two soldiers were stationed at the base of the hole outside Wall Maria. **

"That makes me more nervous than if there was a swarm of them," Petra said warily, wondering where the mindless giants had wandered off to. "What if it's a trap?"

"It most likely is a trap," Levi answered, shrugging. "Presumably they've been hanging around this area for a while now, if Armin automatically assumed the remains of that fire was because of the Warriors."

"Meaning they've had sufficient time to set up an ambush," Hange concluded.

**"****But we have to keep going," Levi said to Hange. **

**"****Yeah, there's no reason to call it off." Hange searched through her jacket's inner pocket and pointed the flare gun at the sky, firing off a green smoke round. Trails of green smoke began to float up around the Wall. **

**_I can do this! _****Eren flew determinedly toward the smoke. ****_No… We can do this! _****Mikasa, Armin, then Hange, Levi, and Erwin, then Jean, Sasha, and Connie, along with all the other soldiers, had their eyes on Eren. ****_Because we've all been special since the day we were born! We're free! _**

"I don't see a boulder anywhere," Ymir observed, trying and failing to find one. There was no way something large enough to plug the hole would be so easily hidden.

**Eren hovered far above Wall Maria. Biting his hand, he transformed. Lightning erupted with a resounding boom, shaking the ground. **

**Bertolt's face appeared, peering through a few holes with light pouring through. **

Immediately they began scrutinizing his environment, trying to ascertain any clues as to where he was hiding.

**Reiner was surrounded mostly by darkness and narrowed his eyes at the orange light flashing before him. **

"They've gotta be in a house, right?" Historia guessed, unable to think what other enclosed space the two could be hiding in.

Connie nodded in agreement. "We would have seen them on the roofs or on the Wall so they must be indoors somewhere."

A crease appeared in Petra's brow, imagining herself in an environment that would allow her to be safely hidden, in darkness, but seeing what was happening outside. "What if they're underground? Like a trap door outside?"

"Maybe," Levi said. "We'll see."

* * *

**Mikasa, Armin, and the others watched, bracing at the waves caused by Eren's transformation. Stiffening and cracking sounds accompanied the Rogue Titan before his skin began to harden, taking on a blue tint. **

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Ymir's eyes widened comically. "Since when can you do that?!"

"You did it, Eren! You did it!" Sasha said, cheering loudly. "Holy crap, you actually did it!"

Jean's mouth was hanging open. "I can't believe it. It's done."

"Score one for us!" Historia declared in delight.

Eren stared in disbelief. He had been expecting a long and bitter fight. Death. Tears. Blood. Was it really that easy?

"I always believed you could do it!" Petra beamed happily.

"I can't say the same." Then Levi added, "But good job."

"This is certainly a pleasant surprise," Erwin said with a genuine smile. "We were worried that crystallizing your skin was just not something your Titan was capable of, but I guess our fears were unfounded."

"I must say I've never been happier to be wrong!" Hange said, grinning widely.

"Now you can take Reiner head-on!" Connie threw out a punch. "You can break his armor with yours!"

"We're going to take back our home," Mikasa said, hopeful and resolute.

Armin was elated and placed his hand on Eren's shoulder. "You did it, Eren."

"Yeah, I did." Eren glanced at Mikasa. "We're going to drive them out and take back what they took from us."

**With a cry, Eren yanked himself out. The edge of his field of vision began to darken and a shape began to fall toward him. **

**Mikasa cradled his neck, helping him to his feet and taking him up. Behind them, large veins of bluish crystal covered the hole where Wall Maria's outer gate had once stood. **

They cheered and whooped happily at the sight.

"We're finally going to recover human territory from Titans," Hange gushed out. The victory at Trost belonged to the Garrison and the newly graduated trainees. It felt good now to watch the Corps take a step toward victory after so much heartache, failure, and stagnation.

**"****Don't let your guard down! Keep on the lookout!" Hange ordered while Levi kept an eye out. **

**"****Roger!" **

**"****Eren!" Hange ran over to them as the two landed on the Wall. **

**"****How's your 3D gear?" Mikasa asked him. **

**"****It's fine." Eren inspected the machinery. "But I did manage to lose my cloak." Mikasa placed hers around his shoulders. "Thanks." He got to his feet, adjusting the cloak and pulling up the hood. **

**Mikasa grunted, a small nod. **

**"****The hole?!" Levi called down to the soldiers below. **

**"****Success!" A man on the inside of the outer gate confirmed, shooting off a green flare. **

"Nice ass, Eren," Sasha said, snickering.

They began laughing as his face turned beet red. But he was too happy to be all that embarrassed by their teasing.

"Don't celebrate just yet." Levi rained on their parade. "We've still gotta survive the rest of the expedition."

That sobered them down. They may have succeeded in one part, but the mission wasn't over yet. There was still plenty of time for things to go horribly wrong.

**"****It's plugged alright!" A soldier outside the gate verified as well, also firing a green flare.**

**"****We did it!" Hange smiled. "Eren, you okay?" **

**"****No problems here. I'm ready like we trained."**

"I get so tired after one transformation," Eren muttered. To be on his feet and ready for more, especially after using that ability, Eren knew he had to have gone through intense training to get there. It would have required transforming multiple times over a long period of time to build up his stamina so he could be prepared for this battle.

Armin hummed, thinking. "We must have had to fight hard with the Royal Government to get permission for you to transform many times and regularly, too, especially considering what a complete disaster the 57th Expedition was, which was supposed to be kind of a test for you."

**"****We'll head for the inner gate! While we're on the move, remember to hide your faces!" Hange and the other soldiers began to run. **

**"****I really plugged the hole?" Eren spoke out loud. "And that easily…?" **

**"****You did it," Mikasa confirmed. "Believe in your own power."**

**"****The hole from then…" **

**Young Eren and his friends watched as the Colossal Titan kicked a hole into the Wall, the resulting force ripping apart homes. The image was replaced by the hardened body of the Rogue Titan. **

They felt a spark of thrill and pleasure shoot through them at the successful sealing of the outer gate.

**"****Not yet!" Levi's voice pulled Eren out of his head. "No matter how much you plug it, they'll break the Wall as long as they live. Until we kill Reiner, Bertolt, and any other enemies, the operation to retake Wall Maria won't end."**

**"****Of course…I know that!" **

"Right. It's not over yet." Sasha mentally braced herself.

"I really hope this doesn't end like the original 57th Expedition," Jean groaned. Seemingly a success at first but turning out to be an utter failure in the end.

"Don't jinx it, dude," Connie said.

* * *

**"****The outer gate was a success," Dirk commented, standing with Erwin at Wall Maria's inner gate, watching the twin green smoke trails rise from where the outer gate used to be. "Still, it's odd… There's no attack coming. On the contrary, we've not seen a single Titan so far. Were they not prepared for our sudden assault?"**

**"****We can only hope, but… Considering what Arlert discovered…" **

**"****Hmm?" Dirk and the commander looked to Armin. **

**"****I looked into it. I'm pretty sure someone was camping," Armin reported, crouching before them. "The pot was cold and lights were scattered on the ground." **

**At the base of the Wall, Armin was on the ground checking discarded items. ****_"They were drinking something like black tea." _****He sniffed the three mugs in his hands. ****_Smells good… What is this drink?_**

"Could it be some sort of stimulant drug?" Erwin wondered if Marley's Titan scientists had developed some sort of drug to boost their Warriors' powers.

Ymir snorted at their serious faces and said, "It's probably coffee."

"What's coffee?" Hange asked.

"Nectar of the Gods, apparently." When she realized they were taking her words too seriously, looking awed and intrigued, she said, "It's a bitter drink. It has caffeine and can help you stay awake. You can make it sweeter by adding cream and sugar. Never had much of a taste for it, personally speaking. It's a pretty common drink."

"Coffee," Sasha said, mouth watering, fantasizing about its mysterious, sweet taste. "Sounds exotic."

"Sounds bad." Levi sincerely doubted it was better than tea.

**Back on the Wall, Armin stood and said, "Also, there were three cups with drops of black liquid in it. At the very least, there were three people atop the Wall."**

**"****Th-Three, you say?!" Dirk straightened. **

**"****Was the metal pot completely cool?" Erwin asked calmly. **

**"****Yes." **

**"****I find that odd."**

**Armin brought up his hand to his chin. "Agreed."**

**"****Th-The pot?" Dirk asked, lost. **

**"****We charged here at full speed using horses and 3D gear," Erwin started to explain. "Had they noticed our approach by sound or by sight, they'd have two minutes to react. A pot in use wouldn't cool in just two minutes. They had to have known we were coming for five minutes or more," he said. "Meaning they've had plenty of time to prepare for us."**

**"****But…how?" **

**"****Th-There must be a scout in addition to the three on the Wall…" Armin said. "No, we have to assume there're many more enemies in hiding."**

"Let's hope they didn't bring a whole army," Historia said nervously.

"We would have spotted a force that large," Petra said with a shake of her head. "Besides, then they wouldn't have let us block the outer gate. It would've prevented their soldiers from leaving the Wall and returning to their ship."

"Yeah, remember how the Beast Titan reacted when he saw Mike's gear?" Mikasa asked. "Unlike us, they don't have 3D gear that could be used to climb over the Walls."

Levi nodded. "That's what I was thinking."

"Do you think they purposely waited for Eren to close the hole?" Jean then shared his theory. "Maybe they wanted to make him expend energy. And what about the Pure Titans in that area. There don't seem to be any around, weirdly enough."

"Maybe." Hange inclined her head. "Anything to make Eren weaker and easier to capture. But I wonder if they killed all the Pure Titans." Something was forming in the back of her mind but it slipped before she could grasp it.

**"****For now," Erwin continued, "locating the enemy is our priority. Arlert, with that brain of yours, you've saved us from disaster countless times. Right now is one of those times we need you."**

**Armin didn't seem too confident. **

Armin gulped, feeling the pressure from even sitting on the couch.

**"****Take as many soldiers as needed." Erwin waved over a group of soldiers. "Find out if the enemies are hiding near the inner gate or not. As of now, you obey Armin Arlert's commands," he told the group while the teen looked at him, unsure. "Continue the search!"**

**Armin stared nervously at the stern faces of the men and women before him.**

**"****R-Roger!" The group said in unison to the commander's order. **

**"****We searched the Wall thoroughly!" One male soldier said loudly to Armin. **

**"****What are your orders, Arlert?!" A female soldier asked him. **

**For a couple of seconds there, Armin froze up, gritting his teeth, then: "Send one group to each side of the Wall! Search all the buildings near the inner gate! Report any findings with an acoustic shell!" He stopped and added, "A-Alright?"**

It made them laugh.

**"****Roger!" The soldiers began to pour off the Wall. **

**"****Another big gamble of yours?" Dirk guessed, eyes following the group leave. **

**"****No," Erwin replied, "he's proven himself. He's one of our greatest weapons."**

"I hope I can live up to the exceptions." There was a nervous edge to Armin's voice.

"You've never failed before," Mikasa said assuredly, several of Armin's successful plans saving them in a pinch coming to mind.

**"****Eren's coming to plug the inner gate." Dirk turned to look at the side. "What now? Pause the operation until we find the enemy?" **

**Erwin opened his eyes and said, "We continue. We'll lose a prolonged battle in enemy territory. For us, our only chance is with a decisive battle. Besides, if this is all according to the enemy's plan, we'll just have to live with it. In any case, they're not the only ones hiding something." He touched a tube-like metal object half-hidden beneath his cloak. **

"What is that?" Mikasa wondered.

Eren perked up. "A new weapon, maybe?"

"I thought I saw a soldier carrying something on his back I hadn't seen before." Ymir had shrugged it off though, thinking nothing of it.

"What do you think it is?" Petra hadn't heard any talk of a new weapon from the Corps of Engineers. Then again, this was months in the future.

"I don't know. But I can't wait to find out!" Hange hoped the TV provided them with a little bit more information about this new toy. Anything to help them get production started earlier.

Now this was the kind of thing Levi was more interested in finding out from the future episodes, along with information about their enemies that could be used against them. "I hope we get to see it in action soon," he said. It would also help them discover any fatal flaws without anyone being hurt.

* * *

**_What do I do? _****Armin thought, hanging from the Wall as Eren and his group flew alongside it, heading toward the inner gate. ****_Eren's coming to seal the inner gate… And we don't know where the enemy's at! Why haven't they shown even though we plugged the Wall? _**

**Soldiers searched through the broken houses.**

**_Why can't we find them no matter how much we search? _****Armin touched his head, anxiety clear on his face. ****_This is bad… What now? If we fail…that'll really be the end! It's over. Everything… They always attack us in unthinkable ways we always fail to predict. We're always at a disadvantage because…we simply know nothing about Titans! Always…? _****Armin glanced up and recalled the Colossal-type Titan they'd seen. **

Several gasps came from around the room and they cried out.

"Creepy as always."

"I don't get it. Did he figure something out?"

"The Wall! They're inside the Wall!"

"Of course! They're not solid and filled on the inside. The Titans are standing side by side so there must be spaces between their faces at least."

"I never would have thought about that." Historia paused and started wondering again where she was. _We've seen everyone else_. Aside from Petra who had already perished in the world they were watching on the TV, everyone else from the room had appeared. _Where am I?_ There was no way she'd quit the military. Even if Ymir leaving with Reiner and Bertolt had left her in crushing despair, rather than leave the military, Historia knew she would have done the opposite and start clinging to the Corps as she used to. To revert to her previous mindset, wanting to make herself valuable so her existence would be considered worthwhile.

"It's difficult to break your thinking from a belief that's practically been set in stone and accepted widely for a century," Armin said. "So it's not surprising it didn't occur to us before that they might be hiding in Wall Maria."

**Armin fired off an acoustic shell. The groups returned to the Wall. **

**"****Did you find them, Arlert?! Where are they?!" **

**"****Not yet! Everyone, search the Walls!" **

**"****I told you we already did!" **

**"****There's nowhere to hide!" **

**"****Inside the Walls!" Armin countered, taking them and the commander, who stood at the edge of the group, by surprise. **

**"****Inside the Walls?" **

**"****Yes!" Armin gave a firm nod. "There must be a spot where someone could stay inside for a long time!"**

**"****How do you know that?!" **

**"****It's a hunch," Armin answered, eyes down. **

**"****Do you have any idea what sort of situation we're in?!" A man grabbed his shoulders. "We don't have time to waste on hunches!" **

**"****Think about it!" Armin implored. "The enemy always attacks us using Titan powers in ways we never imagine! If we constrain ourselves to common sense and reason, we'll never be able to gain the upper hand!" **

His words earned nods from the group.

**The group was startled when Erwin suddenly fired off a red smoke signal. **

Armin had a sudden, anxious thought that he would be wrong and the commander's faith in him would be misplaced. _Stop that_. Regardless of how certain he could be in the moment, he was always hounded by self-doubt after the fact, his fear of failure making him second-guess himself. It was a bad habit he needed to break.

* * *

**Eren's group stopped, suspended from the side of the Wall. **

**"****The signal to halt the mission!" **

**"****All troops," Hange said to the soldiers behind her, "scatter and stand by atop the Wall!" **

**"****Roger!"**

* * *

**"****There are times to be strict and times to be flexible." Erwin lowered his arm. "Adhere to the principles you vowed while giving everything you've got. Obey the chain of command. The reason we are here is to claim victory!"**

**Taking charge, Armin began directing the group. "Break into two groups again and search the surface! Especially above the gate! Commence the search!"**

**At first, they gave him dumbfounded looks but obeyed a second later. "Rog… Roger!" **

**The soldiers began testing the Wall, tapping their swords against the stone. **

"But how are they gonna find them?" Ymir asked. "There's so much surface area to cover. It's going to take hours."

"Not necessarily," Erwin replied. "It's why Armin mentioned the gate. They know we have to pass through the gate so I'm sure they'll be hiding somewhere nearby. Especially since their scout managed to relay our arrival and the pot was still warm by the time we arrived. And of course, there is the location of the fire's remains itself. They couldn't have strayed too far from it in such a short amount of time."

"Now we know the general area of where they'll be waiting to ambush us." Hange made a note of that. "I'm sure we'll get confirmation soon enough."

"We gotta be careful not to rely too heavily on this information, though," Erwin said in warning. "This future is some time away. Things could change without us meaning to."

Levi grunted and said, "Long as we can still get other useful intel like their strengths and weakness, the tricks they like to use like hiding in the Wall if they are indeed doing that, that'll be plenty for us."

**"****What are they doing?" Connie muttered, standing back to back with Jean and Sasha. "Should we really be waiting like this?"**

**"****Yeah," Jean said, "so much for our surprise attack…" **

**Off to the side, Eren watched with Mikasa and Levi. ****_Armin… Did you figure something out? _**

**Levi observed without a word.**

* * *

**Looking left, then right, Armin lowered himself. The sound of metal tapping against stone continued around him as the soldiers slowly continued their search.****_ A position to react, no matter when Eren appears… A position able to see everything… _**

**Erwin stared intently as Armin lowered himself. **

**_If there is such a place,_**** Armin thought to himself,****_ it has to be in the Walls. If the enemy has no idea we know about the Titans in the Walls, and they think we'll never see it coming… Or possibly…? _**

**To Armin's left, a male soldier blinked at the sound that resulted from his blade meeting the stone. **

"That sounds like wood!" Historia gasped.

"Safe to say another point for Armin," Eren said, not surprised Armin's intuition was right again.

Petra tensed, voice straining when she said, "Why isn't he moving?"

Mikasa understood the feeling, her instincts also yelling _Move!_ There was an enemy on the other side. Her mind would have been screaming to quickly shoot off to a safe distance first, then alert the others.

**The soldier fired off his acoustic shell. "Here! There's a cavity here!" **

"No, don't do that," Jean said, wincing at the loud noise.

"Get out of there!" Historia hissed, catching on.

**From inside the Wall, Reiner removed the piece of wood, startling the soldier, and thrust his sword through the man's chest. **

Some of them jumped.

"Damn, he should have moved first. Reiner might not have known he was there."

"Yeah, he might not have heard us testing for hidey holes in the Wall and realized we were on to him."

**Eren and Mikasa flinched, Erwin too, while Levi moved at once. **

**The soldier fell and Armin cried out when Reiner revealed himself. "Reiner!" **

**Reiner didn't have time to react as Levi came down, piercing his neck with his sword, stunning the four soldiers watching. **

"Did he get him?!"

"Is he dead?! He's gotta be dead!"

"He's so dead!"

"The way he just went after him. That was amazing!"

Eren was suddenly reminded of when he had accidentally transformed and his squad had been on him at once. It was why Levi had said he chose them. _Because they __were like him. React first while everyone else is busy gawking_.

"I keep thinking he can't get any cooler and he proves me wrong every time."

**Running down the Wall, Levi stabbed Reiner in the chest with his left sword, pulling away his right hand and leaving the blade in the his neck. **

"Get him!"

"Take off his head!"

"No, get the nape! _Get the nape!_"

**The whites of Reiner's eyes disappeared as his pupil's appeared. **

"Uh-oh."

**At once, Levi shoved Reiner down and pushed himself away, letting his wire take him away as Reiner slammed into the ground. **

"He was _so_ close."

"Maybe he got him!"

**"****Shit!" Levi cursed, crouching near Armin. **

"Never mind."

"Slippery little bastard," Levi said in annoyance.

**"****Captain?!" **

**"****Is that another Titan power?!"**

**Reiner's body began to writhe. **

**"****So close!" Levi said in frustration. "But I couldn't finish him!"**

Mikasa could understand it all too well, having been there herself. At least his failure wasn't due to emotional attachments getting in the way.

**Golden-orange lightning shot out from Reiner's body, and Eren and Mikasa stared down. Steam poured in thick waves from the Armored Titan. **

"Does Reiner have a Goddess on his side saving his ass all the time? I swear this is the like the fifth time we've seen him survive an attempt on his life."

"Sixth, actually. I've counted."

"Dude, are you serious?"

"Ymir as a mindless Titan, twice at Utgard Castle, Mikasa on Wall Rose, Eren before the Colossal Titan fell on them, and now Corporal Levi."

"Let's hope there won't be a lucky number seven."

**"****Keep on the lookout!" Erwin told the soldiers. "Locate his allies!" **

**Lightning struck behind the commander. **

"The Beast Titan?! Is that—"

**The ground began to tremble as countless transformations created a crescent-shape of crackling light behind Erwin. **

"Oh shit!"

"What the...what?!"

"Where did they come from?!"

"Well, that's not good."

"I expected as much. Of course they wouldn't go down without a fight."

"They had a trap of their own and we walked right into it."

"Not like we had another choice. The holes had to be closed."

**The steam cleared, revealing the Beast Titan, on one knee, surrounded by Pure Titans. **

**The soldiers stared in disbelief at the Titans. **

**The Beast Titan lifted a large boulder and braced before sending it toward Wall Maria.**

Knowing what was coming, they braced themselves.

**"****Boulder incoming!" Erwin yelled at the projectile headed toward them. "Get down!" **

**A cloud of dust explored and the ground trembled when the boulder hit the Wall with a resounding boom, frightening the horses of the soldiers on the ground nearby. **

**"****What the—?!" They turned toward the source. **

**On the Wall, Dirk asked, "Did he miss?" **

**"****No," Erwin said, looking down. "That was good aim. He plugged the entrance. Now the horses can't pass." **

**The hole was blocked by the broken remains of the boulder. **

"No wonder they let us seal the outer gate," Mikasa said as it came to her. "It was a trap."

"They were letting us block one of our potential exits." Petra nodded. "With the added benefit of having Eren expend some of his energy." Even if Eren could transform multiple times now, it was still one less transformation they had to worry about.

**"****They'll aim for the horses and surround us in order to block our escape and annihilate us here."**

**The Beast Titan straightened. **

"What's that Titan there?" Historia pointed. "The one with the box."

"Could that be the Cart Titan you spoke of?" Erwin asked Ymir.

"Actually, yeah. You might be right about that, Commander."

"Titans have limited capacity for intelligence," Hange said, "even the ones turned and controlled by the Beast Titan. Remember how they had a hard time following basic directions and almost killed Mike despite the fact Zeke told them not to kill him? There's no way even one of Zeke's Titans would be able to spy on us and move fast enough to find the Warriors and forewarn them of our arrival."

"But it would make sense if it was one of the nine Titans." Mikasa crossed her arms. "It would have the intelligence and speed needed to carry that out."

**"****We're both hoping for the same thing. To settle it here once and for all." Erwin unsheathed his sword. "Humans or Titans?!" **

**The Beast Titan grinned while the Armored Titan began to rise. **

**"****Which side will live?! Which side will perish?"**

**Eren glared.**

**An overhead shot revealed the Beast Titan with five or so dozen Pure Titans facing Wall Maria, standing in the grassy field just outside the town located at the north side of the Wall. **

Historia had not expected them to show up from behind. "They've cut off our route back to home, back to safety."

"Of course," Jean said, coming to a realization. "That must be why there are no regular Titans around. They must have killed them because Titans instinctively attack the nine intelligent Titans along with humans."

"They were getting rid of an uncontrollable variable," Armin agreed, following Jean's train of thought. "Now the only Pure Titans around are the ones the Beast Titan can control. They'll only attack us, not the Warriors."

"Actually," Hange interrupted, studying her notebook, "we might have helped with that."

"What do you mean?" Levi asked and she held up her drawing in response.

"There would be way too many Titans for them clear out by themselves. Not unless they had years, which I doubt. All the Pure Titans could have started ganging up on them. I think this thing here—" she tapped the drawing with a finger "—is a Titan killing weapon."

Erwin considered that nodded. "You might be right. It would explain how so many Titans could be quickly executed. It would be very hard for the Colossal Titan to have killed many Titans. The nape is too a small target for such a large entity. And it's too slow. It would have been devoured."

"The Pure Titans would easily recover from the hot steam and keep attacking, but Bertolt would tire eventually," Ymir said. "That just leaves three."

"But that machine could be operated in shifts throughout the day," Mikasa said, eyeing the drawing.

"It's like a...Titan guillotine," Connie said wondrously.

"The Titans would keep showing up," Armin said, "attracted by the humans at the top, and it'd be like lambs to a slaughter. We could make relatively short work of them using that machine. And there wouldn't be any human casualties either."

"I must admit," Petra began, "the Royal Government sure got more cooperative. To allow resources and time to be put toward building that thing, even letting it get approved in the first place—I'm sure the Wallists must have pushed back against it, hard—but they still let it go through."

"I'll bet they tried," Levi scoffed. "But Zackly must have taken a gamble and come through for us again." And it would have paid off for him.

"But it's crazy to think we came up with something so amazing." Eren was in awe of human innovation. "Let's keep watching! I wanna see how things will turn out."

"I can't wait to see where this goes!"

"On to the next episode!"

* * *

**_Please Review~ _**


	2. Thunder Spears

**Chapter 2: Thunder Spears **

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Shingeki no Kyojin

**Previously**: The group wonders about Reiner always surviving. They theorize about the Titan Guillotine and lack of Pure Titans in Shinganshina.

* * *

**A large group of Titans stood to the left and right of the Beast Titan. **

**Up on the Wall, their hoods up, the ****soldiers**** stared. **

"If I have to watch myself die," Connie spoke up, "I'm totally going to ugly cry, I'm warning you now."

"Just don't get any snot on me," Ymir said, though Historia sat between the two of them.

Connie grinned and said, "I'll make sure to project in your direction."

**Levi came up behind the commander. "Erwin, he's gonna climb up." He looked off to the side, Erwin and Armin doing the same. **

**On the ground, the Armored Titan crouched, releasing steam. White crystal appeared over his hands, lengthening into long, pointy fingernails over both his hands and feet. Suddenly, he took off towards the Wall. Planting his foot into the wall, he began to climb.**

**"****All troops!" Erwin said to the soldiers as the Armored Titan's clawed hand dug into the Wall. "Avoid clashing with the Armored Titan! Stay away from him!"**

**"****Roger!"**

**"****Hange, why didn't he signal to attack?" Eren and his group stood further along Wall Maria, watching Reiner's Titan scale it. "What's he thinking?" **

**"****He's watching the enemy's movements," Hange explained, staring out at the Beast Titan and his horde. "Because Reiner and his friends prepared some sort of grand welcome for us." **

_I'll bet they did_. Levi thought. _We'll make sure to pay them back in kind_.

**Erwin noticed a Titan to the Beast's right. It was on its hands and feet. ****_That quadruped type is carrying luggage on its saddle_****. ****_It wasn't one of those that just transformed. _****_In which case, is that the enemy's scout? If it took notice of our approach and informed Reiner, that must mean…_**** He imagined the small Titan spying on them in the forest.**

Historia pointed. "There's the Cart Titan."

Petra nodded. "So it was the one spying on us and told the Beast Titan about our approach. It must be incredibly fast to beat our horses to the inner gate."

"If we can somehow beat all four of them," Eren began, "and keep them from returning home, we can severely cripple Marley's power without even having to feed the enemy Titans we capture, transferring their power to soldiers from our side. Marley will only have the War Hammer Titan left."

"The War Hammer sounds like a tough one," Sasha said, conjuring up the image of an Armored-type Titan running around carrying a giant hammer. "Glad that one's not around."

"But they still have an army and superior technology and possibly allies," Erwin pointed out. "At the very least, even the nations who do not like them might band together with them just to destroy us."

"We've talked about it but we really should look into getting some friends too," Hange put in. "Won't be easy, though. Everyone hates out guts."

"First we need to deal with this group," Levi insisted. "The rest can come after."

**Levi pulled up his hood. **

**"That quadruped type down there is an intelligent Titan," Erwin said, startling Levi and Armin. "No, there might even be others."**

"So we're sure the scary-sounding one won't be there?" Sasha asked. "Cause things could change and we might end up with that one instead of the Cart Titan."

"No," Armin said confidently, "it's like we discussed before. It's the only Titan power unaccounted for and it sounds like a combat-type."

"It is," Ymir confirmed. "Least I'm pretty sure it is. Actually, the reason it's hard to say is because the Tybur family doesn't take part in wars. But keep in mind my information is sixty years outdated."

"It still lends it a little more credence," Armin continued. "So you see, Marley won't keep a support-type Titan home and send out all of their fighting types, leaving the place undefended. Titans are their unique weapons that no other nations possess. It's not very smart to send out their remaining combat-type Titan."

**_That Titan…has luggage?_**** Armin thought. Two barrels showed on the Titan's back. ****_What could it be? _**

**Bringing up his elongated arm, the Beast Titan roared as he brought it down on the earth, creating a fissure and causing birds to flee from the nearby trees. On his signal, the smaller Titans began to charge. **

**"****They're moving!" Hange called out. "Multiple two- to three-meters approaching!" **

Connie burst into laughter. "I'm sorry but I can't hold it in!"

"I'd be so scared out there, but here," Historia giggled. "They look so ridiculous running like that!"

It got the rest of them laughing as well.

"They're so terrifying when you're facing them," Jean said. "But man, they're pretty hilarious when you're not running for your life."

"I used to love this duality of theirs." Hange sighed, thinking of a simpler time.

**_It's just like the raid at Utgard Castle… _****Erwin observed the horses below.****_ They'll go after the horses first. Their primary objective is to capture Eren, but… To achieve that, they'll take away our only escape option._**

"So," Eren said, "he's not a particularly imaginative guy, Zeke. Just rehashing the same thing."

"Don't underestimate your opponent and get stuck in outdated thinking," Petra warned him. "They could have other surprises we haven't seen yet."

**A drawing appeared on the screen: Eren's crystallized Titan blocking the hole in the outer gate of Wall Maria, the soldiers atop the inner gate with Reiner on the Shinganshina side, and the horses and some soldiers in the town on the opposite side. Finally, there was the Beast Titan with his group creating a half-circle at the end of the town thus trapping the group within that space. **

**_With Wall Maria still being deep in Titan territory,_**** Erwin thought,****_ we have no means to get back without horses. Just by killing our horses, it completely blocks our escape and severs our supply line._**

Hange memorized that image and doodled it before she could forget. She could ask Erwin to pause but it was necessary. They would probably end up talking and wasting time at some point. No need to waste any more time now when she could easily remember the map on her own and note it down.

Levi noticed her religious note-taking. "We'll hope for this same scenario and battle plan from them but prepare for anything else they might come up with." He had taken it upon himself to ensure they didn't get too focused on what they saw on the TV and only prepare for that. "With the changes we made, we can't blindly trust what we see. We have to be flexible."

"I know," she agreed, finishing up the drawing. "All we can do is hope we kept it enough on track that they make a lot of the same decisions so we're able to counter them with ease because the same scenario plays out."

**The TV showed soldiers sitting with despairing looks on their faces, Titans surrounding them in the distance. ****_Whether it takes one week or a month, they can simply wait until there's nobody who can move. _****In Erwin's vision, Eren sat cross-legged, head down. ****_Without any of the risks of battle, they can waltz in and take Eren once he's too weak to resist._**

**Erwin gazed at the taller Titans that stood immobile. ****_Right now, the fact that all those larger Titans are staying in formation is proof that their only purpose is to cage us in._**

**"****Commander!" Armin said quickly. "The Armored Titan is close! And we still don't know where Bertolt is!" **

**"****Yeah, I know," Erwin said, still deep in his thoughts. ****_At this point, what I fear most…is that Reiner and Bertolt slaughter our horses unchecked. Therefore…_**** He straightened. **

**"****Are you finally ready to say something?" Levi asked. "I could've had breakfast during the wait."**

They giggled at his casual response.

"Everyone's tense as hell but he's making jokes."

"That's Captain Levi for you."

**"****Dirk Squad and Marlene Squad! Protect the horses at the gate with Klaus Squad!" Erwin turned to his left and pointed his sword. "Levi Squad and Hange Squad! Take down the Armored Titan! Employ the Thunder Spears at your own discretion!" **

"Thunder Spears?" Eren echoed, curious. "That sounds pretty awesome."

**A trio of soldiers stood with long gray tubes on their backs. **

"What are those things?" Petra said. "A weapon? A tool?"

"They look kinda plain," Ymir said, wondering what their purpose was.

"Could it be some sort of concentrated ultrahard steel spear?" Sasha threw out a guess.

"No. We've considered something like that already," Hange explained. "You can make it extremely hard and dense but that leads to the metal becoming brittle, thus prone to shattering."

**"****Achieve your objectives whatever it takes! This moment! This battle! The survival of humanity depends on it! Once more, for humanity…give your hearts!" **

More than a few of them were tempted to slam their fists over their hearts and answer Erwin's battle rally.

**The soldiers jumped from the Wall as they replied, "Yes, sir!" **

"Here we go again. Fingers crossed."

"Please don't be like the 57th Expedition! Please don't be like the 57th Expedition!"

**"****You hear that?!" A soldier on the ground by the horses said after Erwin's proclamation. "Turn the table on the Titans coming for our horses!"**

**"****Sir!" Marlowe said with the others. **

Connie recognized him at once. "Hey, it's the mushroom hair guy!"

"Wasn't he in the Military Police?" Mikasa remembered Annie comparing him to Eren once. "What's he doing here?"

"Maybe he transferred," Historia said, shrugging. "That's cool. He mentioned wanting to clean up the Military Police, but I guess he gave up on that and joined us instead."

"Must've figured he'd have an easier time helping us wipe out the Titans instead of cleaning up the corruption in the Military Police," Eren said snarkily.

**"****Wait! Levi, Armin!" Erwin stopped them. "I did say Levi Squad, but I need you to stay, Levi."**

**"****To protect the horses and not Eren?" Levi asked. **

**"****That's right." Erwin pointed his blade at the Beast Titan. "And to strike him down when the chance comes. You're the only one I can entrust to take on the Beast Titan."**

"I hope we get to see Corporal Levi go ham on that giant furball."

"It's gonna be a hell of a fight."

"Nah. It's Corporal Levi. Let's face it, it's gonna be a slaughter."

"Either way, I'm all for it!"

**"****Understood. Since I failed to kill that armored brat earlier, I'll make up for it with the Beast Titan's head." Levi jumped off and started making his way down. **

"He's so cool."

"Zeke's done for."

"Yeah. But fucking Reiner better not survive again."

"I swear if he makes it out I'm going to be convinced he's got a deity watching over him."

**"****Armin, I have a plan for the Armored Titan."**

**"****Sir."**

**"****There are two halves in this battle for humanity's fate. And one of them…I'm putting on Hange and your shoulders."**

Eren reached out and slapped Armin on the back, grinning. "Try not to let all of our people down and get us killed. Our fate may rest in your hands."

"Eren, stop that," Mikasa chided as Armin gulped fearfully.

**The Armored Titan reached the top of Wall Maria and crouched there, looking out at the ****soldiers**** who were keeping out of reach of the small Titans by staying on the roofs, and also saw the ****soldiers**** protecting the horses. ****_They are all gathered in one place,_**** Reiner thought. ****_ I'll kill the horses and make a break for it. That's good enough. No matter how strong Captain Levi is, he's still no match for our war chief_****. **

A few of them actually laughed at the claim.

"He's delusional if he—oh, wait, yeah I guess he kind of is."

"Corporal Levi is going to wipe the floor with Zeke."

"I hope so," Historia said eagerly, recalling the deaths of Nanaba and her squadmates from the previous season. Nanaba had been kind and good to her. The others hadn't deserved their fates either.

"I can't wait until Captain Levi squashes their confidence and puts them in their place."

**Inside his Titan, Reiner stared ahead, Levi's sword still in his neck. The red muscles pulled it out. ****_That was close… _**

"Gross, but so cool," Connie said grudgingly.

**A diagram showed a brain and the human spine. Yellow illuminance representing Reiner's consciousness moved down from his brain to his spine. ****_If I was any slower transferring my consciousness to my body, I would've died instantly._**** A sword went through the neck in the drawing after the transfer was done. **

"Interesting." Hange was intrigued. "It doesn't matter if the brain gets destroyed. The nape is the most important in their human forms, too. They can transfer their consciousness to their spines. This is very good to know. Imagine if we took out his brain and let our guard down thinking he was done."

"It's the source of our power," Ymir said thoughtfully. "The spinal fluid. It's why—what did Candy call it? SanTitan?—it's why that Titan didn't become human because it never ingested Eren's spinal fluid. Only swallowed him whole."

"Is it possible, do you think, if we separated the brain from the spine it would prevent an inheritor of one of the nine Titans from accessing that power?" Hange theorized.

"You mean chop off their heads?" Petra asked. "Or do you mean sticking something into their necks?"

"The latter. I'm imagining placing something flat into their napes that will act as a physical barrier between the brain and the spine. Effectively turning them into quadriplegics."

"That would make it easy to detain them," Erwin said, intrigued by the idea. "A simple gag would prevent them from biting their tongues. So with the possibility of physical injury being taken out of the equation, they'll be unable to transform. And without the use of their limbs, they wouldn't even be able to put up a fight."

"We can test it out easily. I'm game," Eren volunteered at once.

"Sounds horrible and unpleasant." Ymir sighed loudly. "Alright, fine. But Eren goes first."

"Thanks, you two," Hange said, trying not to let her excitement and curiosity overwhelm her because it was probably going to be very uncomfortable for the two of them.

**_How did they even think to look inside the Walls? _****Reiner flashed back to coming out of his secret hiding place and Armin's startled face. ****_Armin? Was it you? _****He narrowed his eyes. ****_No… It doesn't matter. With this, our long journey is finally coming to an end_****.**

"Oh, it'll come to an end alright," Jean vowed. Just not the end they were expecting or hoping for.

**Reiner gasped, noticing Erwin standing a short distance away, eyeing him. ****_Erwin Smith… _**

"Do you see the look on the commander's face?" Jean asked, impressed. "He's not intimidated at all."

"I've said it before, but fuck," Connie said admiringly, "the commander's got balls of steel."

**_Don't get distracted_****, Reiner told himself. ****_I've got to kill the horses first._**

**Lightning erupted behind him in Shinganshina and he looked back. When the steam cleared, the Rogue Titan stood in the middle of the street. ****_Eren!_**** Reiner thought, shocked. ****_Why did he show up unprovoked? They should be painfully aware that he's our main objective. What are you thinking? _**

"I see," Petra said, eyes lighting up. "They're dangling juicy bait in front of Reiner, hoping he'll bite."

"To change his target from the horses to Eren," Mikasa realized, "who will be able to defend himself." But the horses and the soldiers guarding them would die if the Armored Titan went after them. They had no chance against him.

**The Rogue Titan turned and began to run. **

**_To flee south and escape over the Wall?_**** Reiner considered.**

**A drawing showed Rogue running to the edge of Shinganshina, jumping over, running parallel along the Wall back in the direction he came from and climbing into Wall Maria's territory, then heading deeper into the island.****_ If he's alone, he could escape as a Titan to Trost without a horse. And were that to happen, we'd have no reason to stay here and fight. Even if we did manage to annihilate the _**_**soldiers**_**_, we can't let someone who mastered hardening in two months go back to the Walls._**

"Two months," Erwin repeated. Without knowing when the last time the Warriors ran into the Corps, it was difficult to guess when this mission was taking place. If the last time was when Reiner and Bertolt kidnapped Eren, then the mission was around seven to eight weeks away.

"I can master it in two months, huh." Eren still hadn't made any progress with crystalizing his skin, but he was getting better at multiple transformations. The improvements were small but they were there. Knowing he would get there, at a rate that impressed Reiner, made it easier for him to keep his resolve and not lose hope. It was enough to get him through just to know that he was capable of doing it.

**An image flashed in Reiner's head ****of Eren directing a mindless Titan, Mikasa sitting beside him in shock****. ****_If he learns how to harness the Coordinate's full power, it'll be too late. No, wait. This is weird… _****Reiner watched Rogue. ****_If he really was escaping, he would've transformed after using 3D gear to scale the Wall_****.**

**Rogue continued to run, the Armored Titan watching him from the Wall. **

**_Why would he transform when Shiganshina is surrounded by Walls? I get it! They're trying to… _****Reiner glanced back at Erwin, who had a challenging look on his face. ****_…change my target from the horses to Eren! _**** The Armored Titan stared at the commander and Erwin pulled his hood down, not breaking his gaze.****_ Not giving me time to think, are we? Dammit, Commander. And I climbed way up here…_**** The Armored Titan slid down Wall Maria. **

**_Good! _****Eren thought. ****_He took the bait!_**

* * *

**"****He wants to use Eren as bait?"**

**"****Yes," Armin confirmed to Hange. "Those were Commander Erwin's orders." **

**"****He'd resort to using Eren as bait just to protect the horses?"**

**"****You're kidding…" Mikasa spoke up. "And what if Reiner chooses to kill the horses anyways?" **

**"****No, he should chase Eren," Hange said, bringing up her hand to her chin. The drawing appeared again with Rogue coming up behind the Beast Titan. "If Reiner does go after the horses, Eren will keep going and wrap around behind the Beast Titan." Then came an image of Rogue charging at the Beast from behind with soldiers attacking him from the front. "With Levi, the ****soldiers****, and Eren, they can pincer and fight the Beast Titan. Erwin must have said that, right?" **

**"****Yes." **

**"****Even if it doesn't go as planned, by having Eren flee like that, it'll confuse the enemy enough to break their ranks. It all depends if Reiner can see that far ahead."**

**Eren remembered Reiner at the chalkboard in the classroom during their trainee years, explaining something. "Knowing him," he said, "I bet that he will."**

**"****Alright!" Hange said and they followed her. "We'll take on the Armored Titan in Shiganshina!" **

**"****Hold on!" Armin threw out his hand. "There's one more thing I'm worried about. Bertolt is still in hiding somewhere." **

"Where _is_ he hiding?" Historia could not figure it out.

"I'm also wondering where you are, Historia," Armin said, realizing they still hadn't seen her.

It was driving Historia crazy too. Everyone was out there putting their lives on the line, fulfilling their duties to the military and their people, and taking part in such a historic event while she was nowhere to be seen.

"We don't know how far ahead in the future this takes place. Something could have happened—"

"Don't say that," Sasha interrupted Jean, as if him saying it would make it into reality. "Anyway, she could have food poisoning for all we know."

Eren shot down that theory, "We all eat the same food from the mess hall."

"Let's just keep watching." Historia didn't want to waste time. Besides, the more they focused on it the worse she was going to end up feeling. It was going to be anxious and horrible with only wild theories running around instead of the factual truth. Better to just hope the TV could clarify soon. _It'll be okay either way._ As long as the TV showed what happened to her, whatever catastrophe struck her, she would know to avoid it.

**Armin thought back to when Rogue had the Armored Titan in a lock, then the Colossal Titan fell on them from Wall Rose. "The last time they fought, Eren had Reiner on the verge of defeat, but Bertolt's attack caught him off guard and he ended up their captive."**

Eren's expression soured, remembering his stolen victory.

"We all know the win was yours," Mikasa comforted him, patting his shoulder.

"It was two on one," Armin added. "So it was cheating."

**Rogue stopped and turned, ready to fight the approaching threat. The Armored Titan stalked toward him menacingly. **

**"****It's a simple counter-strategy," Armin continued. "But let's fight away from the Walls.**

**_It might've been a fluke, but I've beaten you once already. _****Rogue slowly stepped to the side****_. _****An old weed-choked fountain stood between the two giants. ****_I had it in the bag. One-on-one, I can win. When it comes to hand-to-hand combat, Annie was a tougher opponent by far!_**** Crystal appeared on his fingers. **

"Get him, Eren!"

"Smash his face!"

**The Armored Titan ran at him.**

"Duck! Duck!"

Ymir winced at the screaming from her couchmates.

**Rogue dodged the punch, the force of the swing causing shingles to fly off the roof of the nearby home. Next, the Armored Titan went low and tried to grab his legs but Rogue dodged again, pushing him with his hand. The Armored Titan slid but was on the offensive again. **

The others began cheering and yelling.

"Kick his face in!" Hange shouted particularly loudly.

Levi winced at the volume. "He can't hear you. How many times do I have to say that before you stop trying to blow out my eardrums?"

"It makes me feel better!"

**Rogue ducked another punch and slammed his fist into the Armored Titan's face. ****_Do you have any idea…where we're standing right now?!_**** Pieces of the yellow plating cracked. **

"Now that's what I'm talking about!"

"Another one! Do it again!"

"Oh, I love these slow-motion punches. So satisfying."

"Keep doing that!"

"Kick him in the balls!"

"Whoa, Historia, easy there."

"Also, he's got none."

"Oh, right."

**Eren remembered Hannes carrying him and Mikasa as a boy, seeing the Smiling Titan kill his mother. **

_Of course_. It was Jean's least favorite clip. _Can't have a season without being show this a hundred times_.

**The Armored Titan was sent flipping to the ground. ****_This is the place…where I…_**** Shots of the broken and abandoned town flashed on the screen****_ …where we once called home!_**** Rogue threw up his head and roared. ****_I'm taking it back_****.**

_Home_, Mikasa thought longingly.

Eren and Armin also felt emotion well up in their chests, making their eyes water.

"It will definitely give them an extra incentive," Petra said, glancing at the three from Shinganshina. "Fighting in their—_for_ their—hometown."

"That it will," Hange agreed.

**Steam rose from the mashed side of the Armored Titan's face. **

**_I'll slaughter you all… _****Eren vowed as Mikasa, Jean, and Armin stood on a roof, Thunder Spears loaded and ready on their arms.****_ …and take back what you stole! All of it!_**

"They've got those Thunder Spear things!" Sasha gushed, not knowing what they were but getting pumped nonetheless.

Connie nodded. "I want to see them in action."

"Do you really think they can penetrate the armor?" Historia wondered.

Jean shrugged and said, "With a name like that it better be big."

"Guess we'll see," Eren said, eager to watch what the spears did.

"How'd we even get technology like that?" Mikasa asked.

"That's what I'd like to know." Erwin couldn't help but think it seemed fairly advanced if it was strong enough to use against the Armored Titan. As far as he knew, no human made weapon existed that one could even consider it might be useful against Reiner's Titan. Even cannons were ineffective.

* * *

**In Shinganshina, soldiers flew over the group escorting the horses. **

**"****Recruits! Move the remaining horses west!" **

**"****Protect the recruits with Dirk Squad!" **

**"****Where, Marlowe?!" Floch asked him.**

**"****What?" **

**"****Where do we tie the horses?!" **

**"****W-We were told not to put them all in one place," Marlowe answered. "Not here. Farther."**

**"****Three-to four-meters coming from the east," a soldier reported, flying by. **

**That's…a Titan?" Marlowe watched Levi approach the two Titans running toward them. Levi quickly took out both. "Corporal Levi!" **

"This will never not be satisfying."

"Tell me about it."

**"****Now's our chance! Hurry!" **

**"****Clean up the small ones already!" Levi yelled. "Do it before the Beast Titan moves! And no casualties! Don't you dare die!" **

**"****Sir!"**

**"****Shit," Levi cursed, looking around. "This is pathetic. The weak ones die so fast. Should've kept 'em up there." He looked to the Wall, where Erwin stood. **

**_Struggling with three- to four-meter Titans… _****Erwin watched them fight against the Titans. ****_Casualties all over the place… The _**_**soldiers**_**_ aren't nearly as strong as they once were. _**

"With Squads Levi and Mike dead, aside from Corporal Levi, the best and most experienced fighters are gone," Jean said, worried for Corps on the TV. And with many other veterans soldiers also dead, the Corps was so weak.

Mikasa sighed. "The big ones haven't even started moving yet. How are they going to survive against them if they can't even take out the small ones?" She wished she could be there to lend a hand.

"Are they really going to be able to beat them?" Ymir was skeptical. "If they can't even take down the small fries and the big ones start moving..."

"But they've got Corporal Levi to help out," Historia said, trying to be optimistic.

Armin disagreed, "He can't do everything. Besides, he has his own objective he needs to fulfill. If the others can't fight on their own without him saving them constantly, how's he going to reach the Beast Titan without tiring out? Reiner called Zeke their war chief, remember? That means he's better than Reiner. And he's older too so he's bound to have more experience. He won't be an easy opponent."

"What can the Beast Titan do? I'm trying to think, but..." Petra was unable to come up with any ideas. "If it's like what the Hange on TV said about how the big ones are only there to trap us in, Zeke will be the one to start attacking. And he's going to be worse to deal with than the numerous tall Pure Titans."

"I don't have any clue either," Levi said. "But when he starts going on the offensive, I have a feeling it's going to get ugly real fast."

**_However, without all those sacrifices, we never would have made it this far. _****An image of a young Erwin in a classroom appeared, he was standing, talking to the teacher. **

**_When I was a trainee, I told the others about my father's theory, which I also believed._**** In the next one, he was eating outside with a group of friends. **

"He looks...like a baby commander," Historia said and her couchmates giggled.

"Hard to imagine you being young and immature, Erwin."

Hange was about to tell Levi everyone probably thought the same about him, until she recalled the episodes with Farlan and Isabel. His mind would probably go there and sour his mood, so she kept quiet.

**_And that once I was a _****_soldier_,****_ I would prove it._**** A teenage Erwin stood with his class at graduation. ****_But after I joined the _**_**soldiers,**_**_ I stopped talking about it for some reason_****. ****_No, that's wrong... It wasn't some reason_****. Erwin stared, gaze lost, remembering holding his arm, injured, as a Titan behind him ate a comrade. ****_I had realized something. That only I…was fighting for myself. That only I…had a dream I wanted to see. _**

**An adult Erwin stood on a stage, addressing the graduating class. ****_Before I knew it, I was giving people orders and inspiring my comrades. _****On stage, he executed the salute. ****_Saying they should give their hearts to humanity._**

**_Thus, I fooled my comrades… _****Mike restrained Levi as the corpse of the Titan that had killed Farlan and Isabel steamed behind the two. **

**_Fooled myself…_**** Erwin led the charge during the operation to rescue Eren from Reiner and Bertolt. **

_Well, this is uncomfortable._ Erwin thought mildly. He did not want anyone seeing his selfishness and weakness. Now more than ever he couldn't be anything but the infallible Survey Corps commander. They couldn't lose faith in him. It was bad enough being forced to confront an ugly truth. But having other people see it was much worse, especially since they were people who depended on him. Every time they saw him now, would they think he throwing away soldiers' lives only to achieve his own dream and not considering the welfare of said soldiers?

Historia knew that all too well that no one was perfect. She wouldn't condemn him for being human. He may have gone about it for selfish reasons, but right decisions he made were right and the Corps, the Walled people, had benefited from them.

"Sometimes I forget he's just a person too," Jean said, the human side of Erwin clashing against his image of the indomitable commander. _He's got his own dreams and goals. It's not just all for the Walled people's sake he does what he does_.

Eren shrugged. "Makes no difference to me what his motivations are. Whether his actions stem from his own personal desires or for the sake of our people, if it all leads to the same destination, the _why_ doesn't matter." As long as that remained unchanged, he could get behind it. Eren would only be unable to follow the commander if something came up and Erwin put his own selfish wants above what was best for Paradis Island.

"He's not led us wrong so far," Armin said. Erwin had saved Eren from the MPs, sent Levi to retrieve him from the Female Titan, and the commander had even led a suicide charge to rescue Eren from Reiner and Bertolt. _He was willing to give up his life then to ensure Eren's survival, even though it meant his own dreams would die with him_. Armin didn't see him as selfish. He was going to keep faith in Erwin to keep getting them through this nightmare.

**_And upon a mountain of their corpses… _****Erwin stared dispassionately down at the bodies below him. ****_…I now stand_****. Mike and Nanaba's lifeless faces stared back at him. **

The image brought forth memories of her failure as a leader. _I hope I can avoid any leadership positions in the future_. Mikasa had immaturely shouldered it once and failed, during the Battle for Trost, getting the trainees to follow her while going off on a suicide run before coming to her senses. The experience had stuck with her since and she had vowed never to be so careless again if she found herself in charge.

"This is why I wouldn't like being a squad leader," Petra said, thinking about the heavy burden that came with holding her subordinates' lives in her hands. She was happy enough following orders instead of giving them. "All that responsibility."

"I'm sure you'll get there one day," Levi commented, not exactly making her happy. "Especially at the rate we're losing soldiers."

"Can you imagine bearing the weight of so many lives?" Connie shuddered. "Knowing your one decision can result in many deaths? I'm scared just thinking about it."

Sasha nodded. "Glad I'll never be a commander."

"Commander Potato-Head. Has a nice ring it to, actually," Ymir said, trying to lighten their mood. Internally, her thoughts were the same as Eren's. Even if his reasons were self-serving, as long as Erwin's actions were of benefit to their side, she could live with it. Though she knew it wouldn't stop her—and she figured some of the others as well—from at least once having a tiny doubt in the back of her wondering if a decision Erwin made was really the right one because it might not be for their people's sake, but his own.

**_And yet, the basement lingers at the back of my mind_****. Erwin thought and glanced to the side. ****_Even if this plan fails, I might be able to reach the basement before I die… The basement Grisha Yeager left behind… The truth of our world…_**

Erwin wondered if after listening to this secret confession of his they thought he was a selfish bastard. That even now the thing on his mind wasn't finishing the mission, but that he would be satisfied even if the mission failed as long as he got to see the basement and learn its secrets, thus fulfilling his own personal goal. After all, they were expected to put their lives down for the cause while his thinking was more self-serving.

"They can understand you're only human," Hange said to him. "No matter how much we like to pretend otherwise."

Levi grunted, in agreement with Hange. "In the end, you always make the best decision for us. You always have."

* * *

**Eren cried out in anger as Rogue punched the Armored Titan into a building. ****_Those experiments paid off! _****He continued to hammer against the Armored Titan's arms, which he crossed to defend himself against the attacks. ****_These fists are all I need to fight!_**

**Rogue caught the Armored Titan in the face, shattering the armor with a metallic screeching. ****_By focusing the hardening on one spot, it gets even stronger! Since his armor's spread across his whole body, I can smash it like thin ice!_**

"I've gotta keep that in mind!" Eren balled up his fists before him.

"The Armored Titan used to be such a huge threat," Connie said. "An unbeatable foe. Now he seems almost useless, always getting beat up but somehow managing to get away to lose another fight."

**Rogue back up and the Armored Titan stood. **

**"Too slow, you big oaf!" Eren yelled as Rogue threw out his hand on the Armored Titan's face to keep him away. Rogue turned to move but the Armored Titan managed to grab his ankle. "Shit!" **

**With a cry, the Armored Titan lifted Rogue up and brought him down on a building. **

"Well, I take back what I said about Reiner becoming useless."

"Getting cocky will get you killed," Ymir scolded, referring both to Connie and the Eren on TV.

**Still holding Rogue's ankle, the Armored Titan pulled him out, lifting him and bringing down his fist, driving Rogue into the ground, splitting apart the earth. **

"Fuck, that's gotta hurt," Jean said, wincing.

"Did he get him?" Mikasa asked worriedly.

Sasha jumped to the worst-case scenario. "What if he got him in the neck?"

"No," Petra said calmly. "He won't want to risk killing Eren and losing two Titans powers at once. Then they'd have to begin their search all over again."

**After the steam and the dust appeared, Rogue, having moved his head to avoid the punch, grabbed the Armored Titan's wrists. **

"Phew!" Connie wiped his forehead. "Close one."

Levi crossed his arms. "You can't get arrogant just cause you got a few good hits in, that's how you lose."

**Mikasa landed on a roof. "Hange!"**

**"****Not yet!" Hange said, stopping on the neighboring roof. "Everything rides on the first attack! Wait and trust Eren will give us a good opening!" She took off. **

**Eren gritted his teeth as Rogue tried to keep his face away from the Armored Titan's teeth.**

* * *

**"****That metal rod is your new weapon?" Eren asked. **

"They're explaining it!"

"Do you think it'll be too much to ask we get the whole design and all the sources used for this technology?"

"How far away do you think we are from creating these?"

"I hope they—"

Hange waved her arm frantically. "Shut up, everyone, shut up!"

**Hange stood in front of the classroom. "You could at least call it a spear," she said, holding one in her hands. **

"Wait, pause!" Hange yelled and ran to the TV.

"Don't touch the screen!" Levi shouted, getting the jeebies just at the thought of her leaving her gross handprints on the glass. He pulled out a handkerchief, just in case he needed to go wipe the TV clean.

"Are you copying down the information written on the chalkboard in the background?" Erwin asked her.

"It's pretty clear. The illustration names and explanations of the different parts." Unfortunately, it didn't list any more than that.

"Any idea what it does?" Jean inquired.

"I have a guess. Just watch," Hange said and returned to her spot. "I think this will be good." She had almost said "explosive" but that would have given it away.

**A large group of ****soldiers**** was gathered before Hange. "The Corps of Engineers really pulled through for me. Using technology kept secret by the Interior Police, that is." **

"Greedy fucks," Levi said, not surprised. "Hoarding the good shit."

"I can't believe their rationale," Eren said in frustration. "Our side is getting massacred and they're hiding technology that can help us win."

"Wait," Petra interjected, "how'd we get it from the Interior Police?" They weren't exactly the sharing type.

Hange nodded. "I'm wondering about the same thing, Petra. I highly doubt they just decided to, out of the goodness of their hearts, donate this wonderful information and the supplies to us."

"That's going to make getting our hands on Thunder Spears difficult," Erwin said. If it was an invention the Corps had created themselves then it could be done more quickly. But technology kept secret by the Military Police? That was going to make it harder._ And she said the Interior Police_. No one else seemed all that suspicious about the wording, probably accepting it just as Military Police from Mitras, the capital in the center of Wall Sina. But Erwin had heard rumors, though, of a secret division within the MP. This seemed right up their alley._ I wonder..._

**"****I told them, basically, we needed a weapon we could use against the Armored Titan."**

**"****Against the Armored Titan?!" Armin repeated. **

Armin was hoping there would be a clue somewhere that would help them get their hands on this weapon. _If it can help us take out the Armored Titan, that will be huge._ And with the element of surprise on their hands, they might even be able to take Reiner down, who, so secure in the knowledge they were powerless against him, might not even put up a defense and make it easy for the Scouts.

**"****Our blades were all but useless against the Armored Titan," Hange continued. "As long as he didn't show an opening in his hardening, all we could do was watch Eren fight the Armored Titan from the sidelines."**

**Mikasa recalled the futileness of her attacks as Rogue and the Armored Titan faced off after Reiner and Bertolt had revealed their identities. **

It was one of the reasons why Mikasa was eager to try out the Thunder Spear. She didn't want to feel powerless again, being forced to watch from the sidelines, useless.

**"****It's true…" Jean said. "We couldn't stop him from taking Eren away even if we wanted to."**

**"****Back then," Connie said, remembering them on the Armored Titan, trying to reach Eren who was protected by the Armored Titan's hand, "if the commander hadn't drawn a horde of Titans to him…"**

"Remember how insane that was?" Eren said, recalling Erwin's mad charge, giving out orders even as a Titan bit him and carried him away.

Jean nodded in amazement. "I'll be old and gray and I'll still never forget _that_."

**"****Thus far, the only attacks effective against the Armored Titan have been Eren's strangles and locks as a Titan."**

**As he listened, Eren thought back to his practice in using his hardened fists against tall trees in a forest. **

**"****Also," Hange said, "we have high hopes for his 'hardened punch' from recent experiments. However, the mission won't succeed with only those as our weapons. While it's important we plug the Wall, more so than that, we must kill Reiner and Bertolt, who are responsible for destroying the Wall."**

They nodded. Otherwise the two would keep plotting to bring down the Walls again and all of their efforts and the lives lost during the mission would be in vain.

_If only we had Titan serum of our own_. Hange lamented. There was still the option of feeding any captured prisoners to Pure Titans. But they much preferred to turn their own soldiers instead of Eldians who were banished from Marley.

**"****So you're saying you want us to stab the Armored Titan with those spears?" **

**"****It's easier just to show you," Hange responded. "Let's step outside."**

**Birds took off to the sky and the group watched with open mouths, some covering their ears to protect against the metal screeching. **

**A tall, thick tree lay fallen over. **

"That looks promising," Sasha said in awe.

"But a tree is very different than Reiner's armor." Jean seriously doubted the composition of the tree was anywhere near as tough as the Armored Titan's skin.

"If we're going to start trying to produce the Thunder Spears early, I volunteer to test out the prototypes," Petra said eagerly.

"Me, too," Mikasa jumped in. She couldn't wait to get her hands on this new weapon.

"I also—wait, never mind," Connie said, changing his mind. "I might accidentally blow a hole in myself instead of a tree."

"Yeah, no kidding," Ymir said. "Best to leave the prototype to the experts."

**"****It's powerful, as you can see. It's like a strike of lightning." Hange picked up a Thunder Spear, tapping her sword handle against it. "Hence the name, 'Thunder Spear.' However, is it enough to bring down the Armored Titan?" **

**The group still stared, stunned. **

**"We won't know until we try. It's effective against normal Titans, but to deal a blow to the Armored Titan, it'll take a little more work."**

* * *

**Rogue and the Armored Titan continued to struggle, with Rogue trying to get him into a submission hold while the Armored Titan resisted. Eren cried out, trying to keep the other Titan restrained. **

**_Shit!_**** Reiner cursed when Eren managed to get him off of him and sent him rolling. ****_I guess biting Eren out of there isn't something I can do by myself_****. Soldiers approached them. ****_I've got to resort to that… _**

**"****Go now!" Hange ordered, almost reaching Rogue. **

They leaned forward, eyes wide and glued to the TV, intrigued to see their newest weapon at work.

**_They're making a move? _****Reiner spotted Hange flying near Rogue.****_ I knew they've been gradually surrounding me, but…_**** Using Rogue as an anchor, Hange and Mikasa flew toward the Armored Titan. ****_What can they even do to me with their blades? I've got hardened armor covering every inch of my body._**** The two closed in on his face.****_ They can't even scratch me! _**

Eren rolled his eyes. "I hope they make him eat his words."

"At least it'll make it easy for them to reach Reiner and deliver the first blow," Petra said. "Since he's so cocky they can't hurt him he'll just ignore them swarming him."

**With a grunt, Hange and Mikasa each launched a Thunder Spear, heading toward the Armored Titan's eyes. They pierced the skin, causing blood to pool out. Flying past his head, the two soldiers yanked out the wires. Twin explosions went off on his face and the Armored Titan howled. **

"Holy shit, it worked!"

"I want a Thunder Spear! Somebody get me one right now!"

"They got him!"

"Do it again! And don't stop until he's down!"

"Can't take chances with Reiner, the slippery little fish."

"I can't believe those stupid MP bastards were hiding something so awesome!"

"Think how easily we can take out regular Titans and clean our Wall Maria with the Thunder Spears!"

**_We did it?_**** Eren thought, seeing the smoke.**

**_No, not yet…_**** Hange thought. ****_The Thunder Spears are so destructive they're dangerous even to those who fire them. If you anchor to the Titan as if to slash it like normal with your blade, you'll get caught up in the explosion._**** A drawing of a soldier appeared as he was blown to pieces when the Thunder Spear connected with the nape of a Titan while still attached to the soldier.****_ Which means the only chance to use Thunder Spears…is when the target is surrounded by multiple standing objects_****.**

"Okay, we're definitely not letting Connie near one of those without protective gear," Ymir said teasingly.

"Wanna make a bet, you hag?" Connie challenged her. "I bet I'll master it before you."

"You're on."

**As Hange spoke, Jean, Connie, and other ****soldiers**** headed for the Armored Titan. "We can only attack with Thunder Spears in situations exactly like this," she said. The soldiers appeared behind the Armored Titan, who sat on his knees, hands covering his face. "Right here and now, we've got to settle it!"**

**Jean and the others launched their spears. Two Thunder Spears embedded into the Armored Titan's back, below his nape. The soldiers pulled the wires. **

**Reiner's eyes widened. Multiple eruptions exploded on his back and some soldiers were sent flying back. **

"It can be dangerous to the wielder, too," Petra observed. "Still, I'd love to get my hands on one."

"Even if you aren't caught in the blast," Mikasa noted, "the resulting force of the explosion might lead to an injury. So if you're sent flying and hit something in the wrong way, you could die."

**"****W-We got 'em!" Jean yelled, seeing the steaming hole at the base of the Armored Titan's neck. "It worked! The armor on his nape is peeling off!"**

"Now we don't have to rely on just Eren or Ymir to take him down," Historia said enthusiastically. "We can do it ourselves!"

"But like Hange on TV was saying," Jean spoke up, "to use it we have to surround the target. Imagine he's moving and we shoot the spear, he gets far enough away the spear will separate from the wire by itself, triggering an explosion with the soldier is still attached being caught up in the blast."

**Connie skid to a stop, sitting on the roof. "R-Really?" He adjusted his cloak. **

**"****The spears worked!" Sasha said, landing near him. **

**"****Do it again!" Hange commanded fiercely. "Attack again with Thunder Spears and finish him off!" Her words were met with distraught looks from Connie and Sasha, whereas Mikasa and Jean appeared grim. **

**"****Reiner…" Sasha said softly.**

"It's been at least two months," Sasha groaned. "We shouldn't be like this." Their enemies wouldn't have hesitated.

Connie nodded, unhappy with himself. "We're _soldiers_. At this point there's no excuse like it's a big shock to take in." Jean and Mikasa weren't thrilled over blasting Reiner but they were still professional about it.

"Don't be so hard on yourselves," Historia told them. "You didn't hesitate in attacking him first."

"Reiner always manages to slip away. What if our incompetency leads him to escape and he kills more of our people?" Connie wouldn't be able to bear it.

Ymir waved her hand. "You're fine. Quit panicking. Just make sure not to do the same thing out there for real."

**"****You guys!" Jean glared at them. "I thought you were ready if it ever came to this! Let's do it!"**

**Sasha and Connie nodded firmly. **

"See?" Ymir pointed. "You two were stressing over nothing."

_But we did give into weakness for a second, _Sasha thought_._ Hesitancy had no place on the battlefield, as Shadis used to say. Be they Titans or humans, it still applied. If you froze against the enemy it could mean death, either yours or a fellow soldier's. So she took a breath and resolved herself to do better.

**Together, the soldiers converged on the Armored Titan again, firing off their Thunder Spears. **

**"****W-Wait!" Reiner said in fear as seven spears pierced the skin, a couple of them only a foot from his face. **

"He's fucked now."

"Hah! Try weaseling your way out of this one!"

"You just jinxed it. Watch him do it now."

**At once they went off. The Armored Titan let out a rasp and the rest of the Thunder Spears exploded behind him in continuous explosions. **

"I want a Thunder Spear," Historia declared longingly.

"Me too." Sasha nodded.

"You two also might blow yourselves up. Probably take me with you cause I'll have the bad luck of being nearby."

Historia stuck her tongue out at Ymir.

Ymir snorted, "Very mature."

Historia sighed heavily. "I also want to know where I am."

"That is weird that it's shown everyone else in the room—aside from me, obviously—but not you," Petra said, thinking about all the other people who had shown up. "We even saw that ex-MP boy, Marlowe."

Erwin wondered if her absence had to do with the Church of the Walls or her noble family, due to which Pastor Nick had stated Historia was someone of importance, or because Ymir decided to go with Reiner and Bertolt. "We might find out later. If he's important they'll show it," he reasoned.

"Bertolt's making me nervous," Armin said, still wracking his brain to figure out where he was hiding. "We still don't know where he is and he's the biggest threat. No pun intended."

"True," Mikasa agreed. "If he's able to see what the Thunder Spears are capable of from wherever he's hiding, he won't even allow us to get close enough to take the shot."

Connie couldn't see how they were going to defeat him. "He can burn and push us back with his steam. We will be stuck at a distance and he can just take a stroll and stomp us into the ground."

"The Colossal Titan is without a doubt our hardest adversary in this fight," Jean said, nodding. "Even with our Titans powers and hardening and the Thunder Spears, it'll be difficult to take him down. The element of surprise is going to be key here."

"The easiest and safest route is to attack when he's still in his human form," Petra said. "They know that so they're hiding him."

"Let's play the next episode and we can see what they've got planned." Eren was impatient to see the mission unfold. They were finally retaking their home. He'd always known they'd get to this, but actually seeing it really cemented that it was happening, and he was eager to watch more.

Levi also wanted to get on with it. "I want to see what that Beast Titan can do." Though he was confident in his abilities, it never hurt to know what your opponent could do, learn all his tricks.

_Maybe, if it works, we can try that method of cutting off Bertolt's brain from his spine to separate him from his Titan power._ Hange thought. She exchanged a look with Erwin and said, "Aright, let's watch the next episode."

* * *

**_Please Review~ _**


	3. Descent

**Chapter 3: Descent**

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Shingeki no Kyojin

**Previously**: Historia and the others wonder where she is. Hange copies the Thunder Spear illustration. Petra and Mikasa volunteer to try out the prototype. Erwin wonders if they see him differently knowing his reasons are based on personal goals.

* * *

**The Rogue Titan carried a massive boulder on his shoulders, a thick wave of steam rising from his body. **

**"****Defend him! Even if it costs us our lives…we must let Eren reach the gate! Do not let the Titans get near him!" **

"Isn't this from the first season when Eren saved Trost?"

"Did the TV break?"

"Let's just wait and see where it goes."

**Three Garrison soldiers rushed forward, avoiding a swipe from a small Pure Titan. **

**"****They're going to plug the hole with that?" Bertolt observed, standing with Reiner on a roof, watching thick plumes of black smoke rise from several houses. **

"This must be from their point of view." Erwin wondered if it would offer any new useful insight.

**"****It's insane… Eren might end up getting eaten. And if that happens, we still won't know a thing." **

**"****Yeah… If it comes to it," Reiner said. "I'll have to do something with my Titan somehow." **

**"****But if their plan works, it'll plug the hole we finally opened," Bertolt pointed out. **

**"****It doesn't matter. We've been searching for a clue these past five years and we finally found it.**

_Five years,_ Petra thought curiously. She wondered why the Royal Government never bothered rooting out the infiltrators. Knowing that the Colossal Titan and Armored Titans were human, they had to at least suspect the two might have snuck inside with the refugees. Or maybe they had and they were just going about it very subtly. Being obvious in their pursuit would have alarmed the public and made it obvious there was a civilization and a whole world outside the Walls. That they had been lying to the populace for a century about being the last of humanity.

**"****Hey…you guys?" Marco called softly from behind, startling the two and making them freeze. **

"Guess we're going to watch the entire thing this time," Ymir remarked. The past couple of times they were only shown bits and pieces. Now it would all come together.

**"****What…were you just talking about?" Marco asked. Slowly, the two turned to face the confused boy. "What did you mean by 'my Titan,' Reiner? What's this about 'The hole we opened,' Bertolt?" **

Jean couldn't help himself and cried out, "For fuck's sake, Marco, shut _up_!"

"It's too late," Levi said, though he could understand the sentiment.

Connie groaned, clutching his head. "Why couldn't he have just played dumb, like he never heard anything? Or snuck away?"

Ymir sighed. "Why did he have to repeat _exactly_ what they said and make it blatantly obvious they were compromised?"

**"****Marco," Reiner began as Titans wandered around in the distance. "That conversation just now…was a joke."**

"Yes!" Sasha jumped on it. "Take the out!"

Levi didn't bother pointing, once again, that they were yelling at events long past.

"Who's to say they wouldn't have killed him anyway?" Erwin asked with a shrug. "To ensure without a doubt that their truth would not get out."

Sasha's face fell. "I guess that's true, sir."

**"****H-Have you guys lost it?" Marco snapped. "This isn't like you! Focus on the mission! Look, the Titans are coming! Let's go!" He ran off and used his 3D gear. **

**When he glanced over his shoulder at the two, his heart gave a loud thump in fear. Marco continued to fly high above the street. ****_Eren transformed into a Titan… Humans can become Titans… So if the Colossal Titan appeared out of nowhere and suddenly vanished…it's probably a human, too_****. He stopped on a roof.****_ In other words, the enemy Titans are hiding as humans somewhere. That means…_**

_He's too smart._ Hange thought. "They knew he would have figured it out eventually even if at the moment he had accepted, or pretended to accept, it was only a bad joke. So they killed him to prevent it instead of risking exposure."

"Poor Marco," Mikasa said sympathetically. "It just came out of nowhere and he didn't have a chance to fully understand the scope of the situation he was in. And he always had to see the best in people." How could Marco have known he was playing with fire?

"Might have served the boy well to have a healthy suspicion of people," Levi said.

"But they were his friends, not strangers," Petra countered. "That's what really screwed him. If they were strangers he would have been more suspicious and not revealed himself. But they were friends whom he trusted."

Hange nodded. "He spent three years sweating and bleeding with them and thought he knew them. They were good people as far as he knew. He never had a chance."

"What kind of dicks are they, though?" Eren scowled in irritation. "Just standing around blabbering something so incriminating then killing people who happened to be nearby and overhear." If only they'd kept their big mouths shut, Marco wouldn't have had to die. "Who goes around yammering secrets that explosive without first ensuring there's no one around?"

**Hearing the gas of the 3D gear, Marco turned to see Reiner fly at him. "Reiner!" Marco cried out as Reiner started to restrain him. **

**"****R-Reiner! What are you doing?!" Bertolt asked. **

**"****Reiner?!" Marco winced, his arms twisted behind his back. "This is a joke, right?!" **

**"****No, Marco… The problem is you're too damn sharp."**

**"****Someone help—" Marco yelled and Reiner covered his mouth. A pair of boots landed before him. Marco shook off the hand. "Annie! Help me out!" **

"So this is where she comes in." It made Armin wonder why she took part it Marco's death. No doubt she would do what was necessary to complete her mission and return to her father. But this screwup she had nothing to do with. He couldn't imagine her wanting to have any part in Marco's tragic demise.

**"****What's this all about?" Annie asked the three of them. **

**"****Reiner's acting crazy! Help me!" **

**"****He heard our conversation," Reiner told her. "We can't let him live."**

**Annie's expression twisted into distress. "You're shitting me… You asshole!" **

**Marco was stricken by her reaction. "What?" **

**The ground shook and Bertolt exclaimed, "A Titan! It's coming this way!" **

**"****Annie!" Reiner pulled Marco up to his feet, still restraining him. "Take off Marco's 3D gear!" **

**"****Huh?!" Marco said in fear. **

**"****Do it, fast!" **

"Fuck's sake, Reiner," Ymir said with a sigh. "He didn't have to involve her."

Petra nodded with a frown. "She's not innocent and I don't care for her one bit. But this was Reiner and Bertolt's fault for prattling on and not being aware of their surroundings."

"I don't like her, either," Mikasa put in. "But I agree with you there, Petra. This fuck-up was theirs and he pressured her instead of having Bertolt help clean up their own mess. He shouldn't be trying to have Annie do it instead."

**"****Why…do I have to?" **

**"****Back there, you risked your life for Connie, didn't you?" Reiner thought back to when Annie had saved Connie when he failed to kill his assigned Titan. "Why did you put yourself in danger? Have you become attached to this evil race or something?" She listened wordlessly. "If I'm wrong, prove it to me right now! If you, and your father waiting for you to come home, are any different than this filthy race, prove it right now!" **

"This warrior personality Reiner sure is a dick," Sasha grumbled.

"Tell me about it," Eren said, scowling at the TV.

**"****Reiner! It's almost on top of us!" Bertolt said to them. **

**"****Annie!" **

**Gritting her teeth, she knelt before Marco and began unstrapping the gear. **

**"****Stop it! Annie! Don't do this! Why?!" Marco screamed at her, his face close to hers, tears running down his cheeks. "Why?! Why?! Why do this?! Annie!" **

**"****This is what makes us warriors," Reiner said coldly. "Annie, you did well."**

Petra rolled her eyes. "Warriors my ass."

"More like hypocrites and savages," Historia retorted, a sneer on her face.

**With a shuddering breath, Marco thought back to Trost's invasion, when they first saw Eren's Titan. **

**"****Reiner," Annie had asked him, "what now?"**

**"****Not yet," Reiner answered, Marco and Bertolt standing beside him. "We have to let them gather first."**

**_I see… _****Marco realized. ****_They were waiting for all the Titans to gather…_**

**Annie pulled out a piece of the 3D gear and tossed it into the window of a nearby building. Then the three of them jumped off, leaving Marco lying on the roof. **

**"****Wait…" Marco called after them. Bertolt looked over his shoulder at the crying boy. "Why? What are you in such a hurry for?! We haven't…even…had a chance to talk this through!" **

"Jump into the window. It's right next to you!"

"Why's he just lying there?!"

**The Titan stopped. **

"Just move, Marco!"

"He's probably in shock."

**The Titan**** reached out and picked up a wailing and screaming Marco, who struggled but it was futile, all the while the three stopped to watch. **

Levi shook his head. "Doesn't matter if he had managed to avoid this Titan. Those three would have chased him down and tossed him into another Titan's mouth. He was fucked regardless."

"I would've still made them work for it," Eren said aggressively. "Like hell they'd have an easy time getting rid of me." They would have had to drag him kicking, screaming, biting, and swearing into the jaws of death.

"If I was being backstabbed by people I thought were friends," Jean added, thinking the same, "might as well take any extra time I can get to swear at them and promise to haunt them. Make sure they never slept well again."

**In silence, the three watched the Titan eat Marco, his cries dying out. **

"You know," Connie started unhappily, "I get why they think what they think and what guides their decisions, but it's still pissing me the fuck off."

Historia nodded and said, "At least give him the dignity of a quick death."

"No, they had to let a Titan eat him. Otherwise," Mikasa reminded them, "when his body was discovered, they'd be alarmed and look for a murderer. If a Titan ate him, then there was no need to find a culprit."

**"****Hey…" Reiner's voice shook. "Why is…" **

**Bertolt and Annie turned their tearful gazes on him. **

**"…Marco…" **

**It suddenly hit Bertolt. **

**"…getting eaten?" **

_And, of course, he gets to conveniently forget about it_. Jean knew it was deeper than that. That Reiner had been so devastated by what they did that he had to make himself forget it to stay sane, his mind fragmenting as a coping mechanism. Still, Jean had just seen his completely innocent and kind-hearted best friend get murdered by those he thought were his close comrades and friends. Jean allowed himself to feel that fury, promising to make the Marleyans pay during the coming expedition.

* * *

**Bertolt watched Reiner sip from his hot cup of coffee. They were on Wall Maria, a small fire burning before them. **

**"****I already told you Annie is doing fine," Zeke said, sitting across from them. "I'm sure. There's no way she's getting tortured. For starters, don't you think that's unlikely? With powers like ours, one scratch and we can pretty much handle anything." **

"There are other ways of torturing people," Levi said darkly. Although it would take time to break her down mentally. But there was always the risk any information gained through such methods was edited or completely false. _No way of knowing she wouldn't feed us bullshit._

**Zeke reached up to scratch his ear. "And remember, it's Annie we're talking about here. I bet she's in hiding somewhere practicing her kicks and whatnot." **

**"****Still," Reiner said, "there's no mistaking her identity was revealed."**

"Wait," Sasha cut in. "How can he know that for sure? They couldn't know we dug into Annie first."

"That wouldn't matter. Obviously they know we knew about the two of them," Petra explained. "So it's reasonable we'd also know about her because we had investigated into Bertolt and Reiner's background. Wouldn't be hard for suspicion to fall on her because she came from the same village."

Hange took it from there. "Presumedly we'd have gone after her and either captured her successfully or she fought us off. Regardless, her secret is out."

**"****Even if it's Annie…" Bertolt looked down. **

**"****Oh? Does this mean you're not fully committed yet?" Zeke asked them flatly, no sympathy in his demeanor. "Is that right? And what about the agreement we came to? Was that all for nothing? We can go at it again if you want, Reiner. But the next time you lose, you give up your armor to another warrior."**

"Whoa, does that mean the Beast Titan is stronger than the Armored Titan?"

"How, though? He doesn't look very fast or strong."

"Bet he's got all kinds of tricks up his sleeve."

"And cause he's older he's probably had his Titan power for longer so he's got more experience."

"So he's going to be the bigger pain in the ass between the two of them, huh."

**"****N-No, that's not what I meant."**

**"****Then pull yourself together," Zeke said to Reiner. "We only have one goal. To recover the Coordinate and put an end to this cursed history. Let's…end this. I want to end all this, with us," he said almost tiredly. **

**"****Understood," Bertolt replied. "I'll try to keep Annie out of my head for now. There's no need to put anyone else through this hell but us. Let's…" He recalled the distress Annie, Marco, and Reiner had felt. "…end this." **

**"****Bertolt…" Reiner stared at him. **

**"****War Chief Zeke," a garbled up voice said and the three immediately ran to peek over the edge. "Enemy troops are approaching," the Cart Titan reported. Two barrels and several crates were on her back.**

"Ew, it talks."

"Great Goddesses above, it sounds like some sort of demon!"

**"****They've reached the foot."**

"I'm gonna say this one is the weakest between the four."

"I sure hope so. We've got enough trouble with the other three and we have an idea of what they can do."

**"****My brave warriors." Zeke clinked his mug with theirs. "It's time to settle this here and finish our mission once and for all." Standing together, the three took sips of their coffee. "Hot!" Zeke flinched, bringing his hand to his mouth. **

"Good," Historia said smugly. "Hope it burned your tongue. Jerk."

"Serves him right," Connie added.

Ymir felt compelled to point out, "It probably healed within seconds."

Sasha pouted and complained, "Let us have this, Ymir!"

**The sun began to rise over the horizon. **

**Reiner knocked off the pot and the three mugs. "Let's go," he said to his best friend. **

**"****Yeah. Let's go." Bertolt followed him as he started to move quickly. **

**"****Bertolt, I've told you a bunch of times, but… You and I will be in separate positions. So try thinking on your own for once."**

**"****R-Right."**

"I suppose we're lucky he's so timid and finds it hard to make decisions." Petra remembered he was ranked third in the 104th class, so he was no pushover—only mentally.

"It could have been a real problem for us. The Colossal Titan is most likely going to be our biggest threat." Erwin hoped their TV versions had come up with some sort of solution to get past the steam issue and defeat him. If no, he was going to be untouchable and they'd be forced to stand on the sidelines and watch it wreak havoc.

"Do you think the Thunder Spears will be able to stop him?" Levi asked Hange.

"We'll have to wait and here." Her biggest concern was the Colossal Titan would be able to deflect the Thunder Spears, much like he did soldiers or their swords by releasing a thick wave of steam. And if he did, due to the dangerous nature of this new weapon, the soldiers using them would be caught in the explosion that may result while they were still within blast range.

**"****You don't always have to wait for my signal," Reiner went on. **

**"****Yeah, I know." **

**"****You're supposed to be the one with the greatest ability of all, yet you leave it to others when it matters. To be honest, I never thought you reliable."**

"Well, there's our confirmation. He's going to be the biggest threat." Connie paused and snorted. "Pun not intended."

**"****I know."**

**"****Up until now. We're ending this here, right?"**

**"****That's right," Bertolt replied. "We're gonna win and end this."**

**Reiner smiled at him. "Keep up that attitude till you're with your beloved Annie." He stopped and faced Bertolt. **

**"****I-It's not like that…" **

**"****I bet even Annie would appreciate the one who rushes in to save her…and mistake him for her prince." Reiner's words were making him blush. "Even if it's you. And Christa… We'll save her no matter what." He brought up his fist, tapping his breast pocket. "That's our promise to Ymir."**

"Guess we're both missing this fight," Ymir said to Historia, scrambling to find something more comforting to say.

"You probably just have a nasty cold," Sasha assured her. "I hate getting sick."

Historia only sighed.

Connie didn't say anything. He was sure Historia was fine. It was Ymir that worried him. Her fate was probably sealed. Had she already been fed to one of their Warrior candidates?

**"****Yeah," Bertolt said and they turned their backs to each other. "No matter what."**

**"****See ya." Reiner bumped his best friend's shoulder with his fist. "I'm counting on you, buddy."**

**Bertolt mirrored the gesture. "Leave it to me."**

**The two moved to the edges of the Wall, Reiner jumping off on one side and Bertolt the other. **

* * *

**_It's been a while since Reiner transformed…_**** A dozen holes shone before Bertolt as he pressed his hands against the invisible barrier in front of him, crouching. ****_No signal yet? Reiner… Are you okay out there? _**

"He's gotta be somewhere underground like Petra said, right?" Eren asked. "It's the only thing I can think of."

"No," Armin responded, studying the image. "There's holes in _front_ of him and sunlight is coming through them. Wherever he is, it's a small, cramped, and enclosed space that's above the ground."

**"****We did it!" One of the soldiers cheered. **

**Reiner was exposed in the Armored Titan's body. Half of his face was missing, steaming. **

"Dude, half his head...just...well, shit..."

"We've really gotta get our hands on those Thunder Spears."

"A couple of weeks ago if someone had told me I'd be thrilled about seeing Reiner's face half blown off I'd think they were insane."

**On the buildings surrounding the disabled Titan, the soldiers cried and hugged, cheering. **

**"****We blew his head off! The Armored Titan bit the dust!"**

"It might not be over yet. Still too early to celebrate." Erwin wouldn't be satisfied until someone checked and confirmed.

Levi nodded. "He does have an annoying habit of giving death the slip, the little cockroach."

Petra thought about Squad Levi's encounter with the Female Titan in the Forest of Giant Trees. "Actually, I think he's still alive. Otherwise his whole body would be steaming as it decayed. But it's only coming from his head, so he's healing."

"I have to agree," Hange said, also thinking about how steam had come from the Female Titan's one eye as she had healed. "I wouldn't get too hopeful just yet that he's dead." Unfortunately, their TV versions didn't have the same information so they'd assume Reiner was down for the count. _Although he still should be down, even if he's not dead._ Even if he'd survived, such a traumatic injury would take time to heal and she didn't think he'd recover soon enough to rejoin the battle._ Enough time for us to capture him and restrain him_.

**Hange, Mikasa, and Armin watched the scene quietly. **

**Jean let out a nervous laugh. "We did it… You were such a pain in the ass for us. Serves you right, scumbag!" **

They chuckled at Jean's glee, which was a mixture of disbelief and relief.

**Then Jean noticed Connie and Sasha, crying. **

The two immediately started to swear they wouldn't do that out there in the real world.

Mikasa thought otherwise. Much like their TV-selves, the two would do what was necessary but still get teary-eyed and choke up, even if they didn't cry. She looked at her hands, remembering her hesitancy in ending Reiner and Bertolt despite knowing they were the enemy. But their faces had been so pathetic, eyes full of fear, that her heart had wavered. And Sasha and Connie were closer to the two than she was.

**At first, Jean was speechless at their behavior. "What the hell are you crying for?!" Jean snapped, grabbing each by the collar. "C'mon, get up! This ain't over yet! Don't cry! We're the ones who killed him!" **

"How fitting," Historia muttered at the familiar scene. "Earlier they were crying about being forced to kill someone they'd considered a friend and now it's our turn."

_But has he really bit it? _Ymir thought suspiciously. Reiner had survived the likes of Levi and Mikasa. He had a knack for escaping tight situations like no other.

**Rogue was slumped on his knees on the other end of the street from the Armored Titan. Eren stared, stunned. **

**"****It's not over!" Hange yelled, throwing out her arm. "Ready your equipment for the next round!" She and some of the others on the roof started to walk down. **

"Better safe than sorry." Petra was onboard with pumping the Armored Titan full of a couple more Thunder Spears, just to be safe. "This is Reiner we're talking about."

Hange sighed in disappointment. "Just feels like such a waste. It would have been such a big win for us if got his power."

**Mikasa placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Armin…"**

**"****It's not like…we had any chance to negotiate…" Armin said quietly as they watched the steam rise from the Armored Titan's body. "It's our side dealing with the overwhelming lack of information. We don't have the power to capture someone who can turn into a Titan. There was…nothing we could do."**

**Mikasa's gaze shifted down sadly. **

_Capture him this time we will_. Erwin already had a potential candidate in mind if they got the Armored Titan. He'd been debating potential inheritors in case they struck gold and captured all of the enemy Titan powers. There was still the matter of the thirteen-year curse. Once he laid out his ideas—they weren't actual plans, of course, nothing was set in stone yet—the rest of the soldiers in the room would be told of the Curse of Ymir. Then they could decide if they wanted to sign up to inherit a Titan. On the off chance they rejected, he'd have backups ready.

**The Armored Titan's face moved slightly, catching Mikasa's attention. **

Some of them flinched.

"Blow him up! Quickly!" Jean yelled while everyone tensed.

**It was deadly silent. Suddenly, he let out a loud roar. The force of it made their hair and clothes wave and Armin covered his ears.**

"Fucking shit that scared me!" Connie placed a hand against his heart.

Sasha gasped. "That's the signal!"

"Okay," Eren said with a nod. "We just blast his neck out with a couple of Thunder Spears and he won't be able to give his buddies a heads-up. Easy."

"We should have blasted him when his human body was exposed." It seemed to Levi that celebrating prematurely tended to blow up in their faces all the time. "Gotta wait to cheer and celebrate until after we know without a doubt we've won. Or shit like this will keep happening."

"Now you sound superstitious like Connie," Hange chuckled.

"It's not superstition. It's being cautious."

**Rogue moved to his feet. **

**But the Armored Titan slumped forward, head hanging low. **

**_It can't be… _****Erwin thought as Levi looked startled at the sound. **

**Past Levi and the town, in the grassy flatland where the Beast Titan crouched, the Cart Titan joined him, coming from the north. **

**Inside one of the barrels on the Cart Titan's back was Bertolt. **

"So that's where he's hiding!"

"But why there? There's gotta be a reason."

"Maybe so the Cart Titan can transport him around without us realizing it? Otherwise we'd attack Bertolt."

"Aw shit. No way we're gonna be able to take him out in his human form! He's too far away from us."

"I'm getting a bad feeling."

"Yeah, I'm kinda scared to see what Bertolt can do at full power."

**"****There it was! The signal!" Bertolt braced himself as the Beast Titan picked up the barrel he was in. **

"Uh-oh. Is he going to—"

**The Beast Titan straightened up and launched the barrel over the Wall. **

"Oh shit."

"Fuck, _fuck_."

**Levi and Erwin watched it sail over their heads. **

"What do you think was in the other barrels?" Levi asked. "Eldians, maybe? He can throw them into Shinganshina and make them transform while midair." Ymir's memories that she got from Marcel had been informative.

"No," Hange said, rubbing her chin. "It doesn't seem that helpful. Maybe explosives?"

"I get the feeling I'm going to really hate his habit of chucking shit," Jean said suddenly.

**"****Nail him with Thunder Spears!" Hange ordered. "We'll just have to blow his body to bits!" **

**_That scream just now… _****Armin thought. ****_Was it for Bertolt?_**** He spotted the barrel flying up in the sky. Armin gasped. "Wait! We need to get away from Reiner!" When Hange looked at him, he pointed up. "Up there!" The barrel sailed above the abandoned homes. "The Colossal Titan is coming! We'll all get blown away!" **

"Get out! Get out! Get out! Get out!" Historia yelled at the TV.

"If he transforms up there, the sheer force of it will... I don't even want to think about it," Armin said, his heart shuddering in fear.

"He can wipe us all out in one go," Mikasa finished his sentence for him.

"We can't end like this!" Eren's refused to believe it. "There's just no way!"

**_Where are you, Reiner?! _****Bertolt gritted his teeth at the pressure of being flung and sailing in the air. ****_I'm coming! _**

**Erwin grunted in frustration. ****_They got us… _**

**"****Shit!" Hange cursed, her and the rest of them flying away from the Armored Titan. "Everyone, get away from the Armored Titan! The Colossal Titan is falling our way!" **

**Inside the Titan body, Eren saw the barrel. **

**_Shoot! _****Armin watched it helplessly. He thought back to when the Colossal Titan fell off of Wall Rose and onto Rogue and the Armored Titan, and the resulting explosion. ****_At this distance…none of us can avoid it._**

_I mean, if we can't get away in time, might as well kill Reiner and ensure he's down permanently_. Jean thought, thinking about the odds of getting out of the blast range in time and about what a slippery fish Reiner was.

"I thought we'd at least go out in a blaze of glory," Connie whined.

Petra shrugged and said, "Well, we'll definitely go out in a blaze. Just not of glory." At least their squad seemed to be far enough away and might be able to outrun the explosion and survive.

**_I'm close to the ground._**** Through the holes, Bertolt saw the houses spin around below him. ****_It's now or never. I'll blow this whole place away. _****He brought up his hand but stopped when he noticed the immobile Armored Titan, steaming from the nape. **

"Of course!" Armin came to a realization. "He won't transform yet cause he'll kill Reiner, too!"

"Which means we've got a chance to get to safety," Historia said in relief.

They slumped in their seats, breathing easier.

**Rogue and the soldiers were running as far away as possible. **

**Shoving off the lid, Bertolt left the barrel, his 3D gear on him. "Reiner," he screamed, descending. **

**Rogue, Mikasa, and Hange looked back at him. **

**Bertolt landed on the shoulder of the Armored Titan. "Reiner?!" He knelt by the other boy, whose half-blown face was still healing. "Reiner?" He pressed a hand against Reiner's chest. "He's alive! But he… He transferred his consciousness throughout his whole nervous system?" **

**An image of the Armored Titan's skull and spine appeared with Reiner's brain and spine now in the thoracic region instead of the cervical.**

"Exactly how many tricks does he have up his sleeve?" Hange said as she wrote it down.

"Hey, by the way," Ymir spoke up, "I think this makes number seven. The seventh time Reiner has survived an attempt on his life."

"You're right," Eren groaned. "I forgot about that."

"This is so unfair!" Sasha grumbled, arms crossed. "How come he gets so many passes?!"

"No kidding." Petra smiled, elbow on the couch arm, face in hand. "I didn't even get one."

"Yup. That's it." Connie declared, arms crossed. "I'm convinced. Reiner's got some sort of deity looking out for him."

**"****But that was…a last resort," Bertolt thought out loud. "To think he'd actually do it… It's hard to believe they cornered you like that. Reiner… I need you to do something for me. You're going to have to move a little. And if you can't, I'm sorry… Prepare for the worst." **

"I'm going to go out on a limb here," Historia said, holding up a hand, "and say Reiner is going to move."

Jean snorted. "I would honestly consider it a miracle if he doesn't."

"But seriously, how does he keep surviving?" Eren wondered just how many more times he'd have to clash with Reiner before Reiner finally stopped getting back up.

**Bertolt stood, declaring, "I'm ending this."**

**Rogue and the soldiers watched from a safe distance. "In any case," Hange started, catching her breath, "our mission objective just came falling into our laps. You could even call this lucky." **

**"****Target approaching from ahead!" Moblit called out. "It's Bertolt!" **

**Hange stood on Rogue's shoulder and said, "Our plan is as follows: Levi Squad protects Eren under Armin's command! All others work together to take down the two targets!" **

**"****Roger!" They followed her. **

**"****Please wait!" Armin flew alongside her. **

**"****Armin?" **

**"****This is our final chance to negotiate!" He pushed ahead of her as the others watched. **

Eren turned to him. "What the hell are you doing, Armin?"

"Understandable and admirable, but now is really not the time," Mikasa said, worrying for his safety.

"But it's our last chance before there's no stopping this battle," Armin argued, agreeing with his TV-self.

**"****Bertolt!" Armin yelled, voice echoing. "Stop right there!" **

**Bertolt landed on the pyramid-shaped roof of a tower, with Armin hanging across from him, half a block away. **

**_Armin… _****Eren thought. ****_What are you trying to accomplish?_**

**"****Bertolt, let's talk this over!" **

**Inhaling, Bertolt yelled back, "If I agree to talk, would you all agree to die?!" His words surprised Armin. **

Historia snorted, "I don't think he's in the negotiating mood."

"Negotiation takes two parties," Ymir said. "It was a commendable but foolish effort on his part." Naive, too, she thought internally. As if Bertolt having a change of heart would solve anything. Bertolt was just a pawn, after all. _But Armin doesn't know just how deep and messy and complicated the situation is._

**"****We only want two simple things! We want Eren and the demise of humanity in the Walls! That's the harsh truth of reality, Armin! It's all been decided already!" **

**"****Wha—? Wh-Who decided any of that?!"**

**"****I did…" Bertolt said softly. **

**"****Huh? What was that?!" Armin brought a hand to his ear. **

**"****I decided it!" Bertolt repeated, louder this time. "Your lives are coming to an end right here!" **

**Armin glared, baring his teeth. "That's very unfortunate! I was hoping… I wouldn't have to hear Annie's screams any longer!" **

"Jeez, are you just trying to piss him off into killing you?" Sasha asked.

Mikasa shook her head. "I think now he's just stalling for time to let the other soldiers get away maybe."

"Or get closer," Levi said.

**"****The only one who can save her from the savages in the Military Police is you…and no one else! At this rate, she'll end up as feed for the pigs!"**

**"****Fine by me!" Bertolt jumped off the side of the tower and Mikasa took off toward them.**

"That's not going to work twice."

"I knew this was a bad idea."

"Shit, Armin. Not everyone's as good as you."

_Hurry, Mikasa._ Eren prayed silently. Bertolt had found his resolve and Armin stood no chance against him.

**Armin landed on the roof of the smaller building to his left. Bertolt cut him off, standing opposite of him.**

**"****Let 'em feed her to the pigs! If they really have her, that is! What's the rush, Armin? Aren't we going to talk?" Bertolt asked and Armin held up his sword, Bertolt mirroring the action. "Did you think that if you talked about Annie, I'd lose my cool again? That since I'm the meek and timid Bertolt, you could fool me into letting my guard down?"**

"Yeah."

"Well, we were kinda hoping."

**Rogue started to move. **

**"****Stand down, Eren." Jean stopped him, standing on the Titan's shoulder. "You should know. You've got a slim chance against him. This isn't your fight yet."**

**_Shit… _****Eren cursed. ****_Armin, why?!_**

**Bertolt took a step forward. "I know what you're doing. You're just buying time. Surrounding me with soldiers…" As he spoke, men and women were trying to approach him while others headed toward the Armored Titan. "…and distracting me with this ruse while the others finish off Reiner! I can tell. You're standing there shaking so much, you can't do a damn thing."**

**"****If you knew that much, why did you even come to talk?" **

**"****I wanted to know," Bertolt responded, thinking back to when Mikasa, Jean, Connie, and Armin had landed on the Armored Titan and come to take Eren back. "To know whether, if I faced you guys, I'd start whining and beg for forgiveness again. But…seems like I'm fine now." His blade did not shake as Armin's did. "Yeah. You are precious comrades to me. I also intend to kill you."**

"Seeing someone as a precious comrade. Wanting to kill them. It sucks how I can understand the two aren't mutually exclusive," Armin said sadly. "It's sad what the world has come to."

"No," Eren muttered, "the world hasn't changed. We've just been ignorant of it. We're not wrong. It's the world that's wrong."

**"****Is that…because you think we're spawn of the devil?" Armin questioned, somewhat saddened.**

**"****No. None of you have done anything wrong, and you're not devils either. But you all still have to die. That's just how it is."**

**Mikasa slid up behind him out of nowhere. **

"Thanks goodness!"

"Get him, Mikasa!"

"Fuck, that scared me! It was awesome!"

"I could seriously fall for her."

"Historia, no! What about me?"

"You don't have a chance, Connie. With either of them."

**Mikasa grunted, her blade screeching across Bertolt's sword, creating sparks.**

Erwin leaned forward. "Can she get him? This might be our only chance." Once he transformed, Erwin did not know how they were going to kill him.

"When she goes in for the kill she could just as well trigger his transformation." Levi wished a wound wasn't one of the requirements. It was a real headache sometimes, having to deal with that.

**Bertolt barely dodged the swipe but couldn't quite do the same for her other sword. It sliced off one of his ears. He spun and kicked her. She brought up her arm to guard against his leg but the force of the kick knocked her off the roof. **

Jean was somewhat surprised at the scene. "It's so easy to forget he was one of the top three in our class."

"They must have had prior training before being sent here." Armin couldn't imagine Marley sending them in without any prior training.

"I still think it's incredibly foolish to send young children on such a mission," Petra said, unable to agree with it. "They could have been just as brainwashed if they were older." Children were impressionable, and it seemed to her they'd have a quicker change of heart than adults, who were often prideful and stuck in their ways and thinking, having had that mindset for much longer.

"Not to mention kids are more easily scared and foolhardy," Levi pitched in. "More likely to fuck up and not know how to handle it. I suppose an argument could be made for child soldiers being easier to control. But not for this kind of thing, they'd be horrible for it. A mission requiring espionage and investigating, moving independently, and making their own choices instead of following orders, that's beyond the capabilities of elven or twelve-year-olds." To Levi, it was a recipe for failure and disaster, sending a bunch of children into a situation with such a high level of stress and complexity. "It was sheer stupidity as far as I'm concerned."

Hange grunted her agreement. "Guess we should we be grateful Marley was so stupid. If they'd sent more experienced and mature soldiers, we might have actually been screwed and lost by now."

**"****Mikasa!" Armin cried out as she was knocked off the roof and Bertolt charged at him. **

"Don't just stand there, move!" Historia snapped at him.

**Armin froze, holding his sword awkwardly, not having time to react. **

"Bertolt is too fast." Eren fretted, cursing Armin for putting himself in harm's way for some foolish attempt at negotiation.

**Mikasa released the blade as she swung the handle of one of her swords. Bertolt swatted the blade flying at his face and she ran up the roof. He dodged her attack and flew off. **

**"****Armin!" Mikasa threw her arm in front of him. "Don't give chase! There's no knowing when he'll transform. If we don't keep our distance, we'll get caught in another explosion," she said, kneeling on one knee. **

**"****I don't think Bertolt intends to just yet. Reiner's on the verge of death, so if he did, he'd finish Reiner off. We could take Reiner as a hostage and fight him straight on with swords."**

"That would be pretty smart." Connie perked up.

"I don't know," Ymir replied, in serious doubt. "Reiner gave him that lecture about making his own decisions. And he was willing to leave Annie behind as well—though he did say there was no proof we had her. But still, he's changed from the Bertolt we knew. He might act like a real Warrior now and do what needs to be done."

**"****We should, but…" Mikasa rubbed the arm that had caught his kick. "It seemed like he had some sort of plan, though. Still, was that really Bertolt just now? To me, he seemed like a different person."**

**Armin's shoulders slumped. "Me, too."**

"I can't get over how different he is. How did he change so much?" Eren asked. This hard-hearted Bertolt was a contrast to the timid and shy mouse they trained with.

"It makes sense," Mikasa began slowly. "He was told the people of this island were evil, that we were devils, which allowed him to break Wall Maria's outer gate and let the Titans overrun us without guilt. After living among us, though, he learned we were just regular, normal people—just like him. So he became indecisive and unsure, distressed by his actions. Now he's reconciled himself to the fact no one is really evil. So he can regard us as people precious to him, like he had said, but still complete his mission. Because that's the truth of the world. It's not black and white, just shades of gray. You can kill your enemies but still feel for them."

They nodded at her words, taking them in and understanding them.

"I think that's the most I've heard her speak at once," Hange commented with a smile.

"She can be pretty wise when she's not being reckless," Levi noted.

**"****Hurry," a male soldier said, leading a group through the air. "The Armored Titan is weak! Let's finish him off!" **

**Up ahead, the Armored Titan was on his back. **

"Called it. He moved."

"Should we count this as number eight?"

"I vote no. There's no attempt yet. And it wasn't going to be on his life, anyway. He was just going to be collateral damage."

"I'm gonna guess Reiner will manage to escape death once more before this season ends."

"Wouldn't surprise me."

**"****Wha—? He's facing upwards now?!"**

**The group of soldiers landed on the buildings to the Titan's left and right. **

**"****We can't finish him off!"**

**_This is a very strange feeling…_**** Bertolt thought. ****_I don't feel that scared at all. I can see everything clearly. I feel like, no matter how this all plays out, I can accept whatever happens. That's right, nobody's in the wrong. There's nothing we could do._****Bertolt**** launched himself to the sky. ****_Because this world…is just…_**** He shifted his body to see the buildings far below him get smaller. ****_…that cruel._**

**"****He's going up!" Hange exclaimed, seeing Bertolt above her. "Don't tell me…" **

Hange felt her stomach clench in dread. _Am I about to die?_

**"****But I thought Reiner was right over there!" Moblit said from behind her. **

**Hange panicked. "Quick, get out of here!" **

"Sometimes I hate being right so much."

"This can't be it. It just can't be."

"There's nowhere for them to take shelter."

**Lightning crackled around Bertolt's body. A large golden-orange ball formed high above them. **

**"****Hange!" Moblit yelled, moving closer to her.**

Hange paled considerably. "Moblit," she said, feeling queasy. He was still worrying about her first.

**Levi, Erwin, Armin, and Mikasa stared at the massively expanding ball in shock. **

**Growing tremendously, the force of the sphere shook the ground and sent a shockwave that ripped apart a row of stone houses.**

Their faces became stricken.

"It's even worse than I could have imagined," Jean said, looking sick.

Connie laughed nervously. "We're royally fucked now—or baked."

"More like blackened," Sasha joked weakly, her stomach turning.

"Stop joking! People are fucking dying!" Eren snapped at them.

"Easy." Armin placed a hand on his shoulder. "They're just trying to deal with it in their own way."

**Rogue was on one knee, trying to shield himself against the pressure. Sasha and Connie held on to him to avoid being blow off as Jean braced himself, midair, as the hooks of his gear kept him anchored to Rogue's neck. **

**Behind a house, Armin clutched the ground and Mikasa braced against the brick wall. **

**A number of soldiers were burned and turned to ash and more houses were destroyed. The screen went white then gold briefly.**

_Was I one of them?_ Was Moblit? And the rest of her squad? For their sake, Hange hoped it was a quick death. _Is this truly the end for me? _She felt almost numb.

**Erwin was on one knee, protecting his face from the explosion. A mushroom cloud appeared. The commander scowled as the light from the explosion died down. **

"That...is the most insane thing I've ever seen," Jean declared.

"Bertolt is too fucking dangerous!" Connie's eyes were massive. "We'll need to take him out before he can—he can do _that_ when we face him!"

"I don't think even one of those soldiers could have survived that," Petra said quietly.

Sasha clutched her gut. "Oh, I feel queasy."

**"****You guys alive?!" Jean asked from Rogue's shoulder. **

**"****I don't know!" Connie replied, on the Rogue's arm. "Are you?!" **

**"****I-I'm hanging in there…" Sasha answered weakly, holding the Rogue's crystalized thumb. **

**Armin and Mikasa joined them, landing on the building in front of Eren's Titan. "Mikasa! Armin! You okay?!" Jean asked the two.**

**"****We're fine," Mikasa replied. **

**"****Hange Squad?" **

**"****They were so close to Bertolt…" Armin told them quietly. **

_One of the last of the all-veteran squad, gone. And an old friend, also dead_. Erwin thought, feeling a pang.

"That's it?" Hange stared helplessly. "That's the end? How... It can't be." She couldn't even finish. _We didn't get to contribute anything!_

"It's okay," Petra comforted her. "Don't be too disturbed. I mean, just look at me. I'm still here."

"Yes, but you died in a fight. My squad and I just got roasted as collateral damage. We were useless!"

"Quit your sulking. Just make them pay out there," Levi said to her to make her feel better. Turn her disbelief and growing sorrow into useful anger and determination. He was grateful he was spared for having to see her die violently and all bloody, like with his squad and many others. It was still disturbing to see their deaths when he looked at their alive faces of Mike, Nanaba, and many others. At least he didn't have to see that for one of his oldest friends—not that he'd admit as much to Hange.

She could already feel her sadness turning into anger. "Oh, believe me, I will." Hange thought of Moblit, whose last act had been to try move toward her and shelter her with his body as if it would protect her. Her loyal, steadfast second-in-command, looking after her till the very end. And what about Nifa? Keiji? Abel? A small hope surged in her suddenly. They weren't shown explicitly. So maybe they were okay. It was a foolish hope but she couldn't help it.

**Slowly, Armin, Mikasa, Jean, and Rogue shifted their eyes up. **

**In the distance, the Colossal Titan crouched, his red-muscled body let out thick steam. **

They stared in complete dismay.

**"****You don't think…" Jean began as they all watched him.**

**Surrounded by wreckage, inside the Armored Titan, Reiner lay. Red muscles around him thumped like a heartbeat. Part of his head had regrown. His jaw, eyes, and brain were popping out, looking quite horrific. **

"I'm going to be seeing this in my nightmares." Armin felt a shiver run down his back.

Connie made a face. "This is making me sick."

**"…****the only ones who survived…are us here?" Jean finished as the Colossal Titan stood up.**

"Oh, fuck me," Jean said succinctly.

Eren crossed his arms. "Took the words right out of my mouth."

**The Colossal Titan shifted his body and moved one of his hands through the houses, bringing the hand up. **

"How are we supposed to beat that?" Historia asked in shock.

"_Please_ tell me we have a shit ton of Thunder Spears." Connie shuddered at the thought of fighting that humungous monster with only their swords.

"I don't know how much good Thunder Spears will be to us," Mikasa replied. "If they're effective against the Colossal Titan at all."

**"****H-Hey…" Connie said, watching the fiery rubble fall and wreck more houses. **

**The Colossal Titan swept out his arm, wreaking more havoc and destruction on the city. **

**Armin!" Jean said, catching his attention. "What now?! Wait for burning houses to flatten us?!" **

**"****Armin." Mikasa placed a hand on his shoulder. "You're in command. We follow your orders." **

**"****We retreat… Rally at the commander for new orders," Armin told them, eyes wide and almost glazed over. "We'll engage the Colossal Titan in a battle of attrition as originally planned."**

**"****Hold up, Armin…"**

**"****Huh?" **

**"****It'll be a disaster if we let Bertolt near the wall and the others," Jean said, and a drawing of the Colossal Titan standing by the Wall and throwing flaming wreckage onto the other side appeared. "If the houses in the inner gate catch fire, they'll be sandwiched between the fire and the Beast Titan."**

**"****Th-That means…" Armin said while the Colossal continued his destruction. "…we have no choice but to defeat Bertolt right here? And we have to do it…with the people we have here?" **

Sasha groaned and fell back against the couch, clutching her face. "We have to defeat him by ourselves?"

"We are so dead." Connie began mushing his face.

"Don't give up yet." Though Ymir had no idea how they could possibly make it out of this situation alive._ If only I was there... Don't be stupid. You'd die, too._ She only had a chance against the Armored Titan and maybe the Beast Titan. _But Bertolt is way too strong_.

"Our only shot at making it out is maybe if Eren somehow manages to figure out how to use the Founding Titan's power," Jean said, skepticism very clear in his voice.

"Eren's gotta do something. Else we're done for." Deep down, Historia hoped maybe she could appear and help save the day against this mammoth. _Highly unlikely_. She just wanted to be able to save them.

"Armin may come up with something," Mikasa insisted, having steadfast trust in him.

"Why is it always us?" Armin asked with a sigh.

"We'll figure something out." Eren had a scowl on his face. "There's more episodes yet."

"That could be the rest of our side getting wiped out," Connie griped pessimistically.

**Eren glared, Connie and Sasha gaping in shock at the Colossal Titan's rampage. **

**Some of the wreckage fell close to them. **

**"****A-Armin! The fire! Your orders?!" Connie asked in a panic.**

**"****Hurry it up!" Sasha yelled, equally worried. **

**Armin didn't reply, overwhelmed as the Colossal threw more houses. **

Mikasa gritted her teeth, furious. She hated not being able to take action, just sitting and watching as Shinganshina was ripped apart.

Beside her, Eren seethed in his spot. _How dare that asshole! _Brazenly destroying his home right in front of him. An old, familiar anger burned in him, imprinting him with the need to tear the Colossal Titan apart, limb from limb.

Armin almost felt faint, placing himself in his TV version's shoes. He badly wanted to stop Bertolt's rampage and save his home, but... _What am I going to do?_ If he didn't figure something out his friends were all going to die.

* * *

**Levi lowered his arm from his face. **

**Erwin turned his attention from the Colossal Titan and glanced at the Beast Titan. "What will you do? Beast Titan… Is this exactly what you wanted?" **

**Outside the city, with a row of Titans around him, the Beast Titan was crouched, bringing up one hand to scratch his ear. **

* * *

"What do you think we—or they—are going to do?" Levi asked Erwin when it was just the two of them. "From the brats' reactions, they don't have another hidden new weapon they can use to take down the Colossal Titan."

"Maybe not. But, hopefully, we might be able to glean important information from watching how they attack him and how Bertolt responded, and use that to develop a plan. Even if it ends in failure, we'll have a better idea of what to expect and prepare some countermeasures to avoid getting completely annihilated like Hange's Squad did."

"I still think our best bet is to take him out while he's still human. We know where he's going to be. I can't think of any reason for his hiding spot to change." It was mobile and safe and allowed the Beat Titan to launch Bertolt wherever Zeke needed him to be.

"Squad Levi, the original one, isn't around on the TV but will be when we're out there," Erwin said thoughtfully. "Since we know where the Beast Titan will be, we can just have them hang back in the forest. The Cart Titan carrying Bertolt is in the back so no one is watching its back because the Beast Titan and his horde are in front of it. They won't suspect we've got a squad that hung back and will sneak up behind it to incapacitate it."

Levi nodded. "They might be able to take out Bertolt before he can cause trouble and take him back to the Walls. I'm sure they won't be happy about leaving the expedition. But if something does go awry, we'll have two Titan powers, just in case, safely hidden behind the Walls."

"Ymir can be with them," Erwin said. "The Cart Titan is extremely fast. We know it'll already be in its Titan form and the Jaws Titan has the speed to contend with it. Either Bertolt will be taken while he's still hiding out in the barrel. Or if he comes out when Ymir attacks, your squad can neutralize him quickly. We shouldn't have to worry about him transforming. Not only will it mess up their entire plan, but he'll end up killing the Cart Titan if he transforms."

"With Eren and the Thunder Spears," Levi said, "the Armored Titan is covered. That only leaves the Beast Titan and his Pure Titans. We've got me and the rest of the soldiers for that. And this time, more of the veterans are still kicking, including Mike and his squad. So it shouldn't be such a struggle."

"Only issue is there's a lot of grassy flat area with sparse trees around the Beast Titan. The Cart Titan will be coming up from the back and it will be difficult to sneak up on it." Erwin mentally filed that away for later.

In a corner of the room, Petra comforted Hange as Hange expressed her frustration. "It's not just that my squad and I died. We went out without even at least ending the Armored Titan threat! We left the Colossal Titan running around fucking it all up. Now Eren and the others are all alone, with no backup. I'm just pissed at dying uselessly."

"That's not true. You fought well and defeated the Armored Titan. And Eren and his friends are resourceful and tough. They'll figure something out. And if they don't, well, we'll just make sure it doesn't repeat when we're out there ourselves."

"I guess I shouldn't be complaining to you. At least it looked like we went out quick."

"Don't be silly," Petra said. "You're allowed to feel how you feel."

"I just wish there was more I could have done."

"You can. Just like I did. Do it when it counts out there."

In another corner, Mikasa eyed Armin with concern. "Armin, are you okay?"

"I think I'm getting a stomachache."

"Don't stress," Eren said to him. "You're not actually there."

"But I might find myself in a position like that." Armin continued to worry. "Commander Erwin and Hange put me in charge. All of your lives are in my hands! I don't want to get you killed. I couldn't think straight and gave out a stupid order and Jean had to correct me."

"Then it's a good thing he was there and you listened. And you're not the only one who feels responsible for others' lives. I do, too. And I'm sure Mikasa does as well. You aren't the only one who's made mistakes, either. Quit being so down on yourself."

Mikasa nodded. "Making mistakes is forgivable. Not learning from them isn't. So stop beating yourself up. I think you're fine, Armin."

Armin inhaled and exhaled deeply. "Yes. I know. I'm sorry for being like this. I wish I could stop second-guessing myself."

"We all have our strengths and weaknesses. For example, Eren is emotional and reckless—"

"Hey!" Eren interrupted. "You're one to talk, Mikasa. You think with your heart too much and you're about as reckless as I am."

"Perhaps, yes," she conceded when Armin nodded with Eren's statement.

On the first couch, the remaining five talked. "I'll admit it," Sasha said a little shakily. "I'm pretty scared right now." She played with her plate of food.

"I know," Connie said with a heavy sigh. "I almost don't want to watch the next episode."

"What if we have to watch ourselves die?" Jean asked, uneasy. "I don't think I'm ready for that," he confessed. He could do it out in the real world if need be. But watching it was just morbid.

"Can't say I have the same problem," Historia said, continuing to be confounded by her absence.

"Hopefully the TV shows us. In any case, at the moment, it looks like you're probably safer wherever you are than the rest of us." Ymir wasn't even sure if she was even alive still or if Marley had reclaimed its Jaw Titan.

"I have a feeling we're going to lose someone again. First it was Petra, last time it was Ymir, and now..." Sasha trailed off and they exchanged looks.

"I think for the first time ever I don't really want to watch the next episode. I mean," Connie said, "I kinda do, but at the same time I'm worried about what it'll show us. I'd rather not see any of us die."

It was a sentiment the rest shared.

* * *

**_Please Review~ _**


	4. Perfect Game

**Chapter 4: Perfect Game **

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Shingeki no Kyojin

**Previously**: The group feels pessimistic about defeating the Colossal Titan. Hange is upset about dying uselessly. Sasha has a feeling they're going to lose another person this season.

_I live! I haven't been able to update any fanfics in a month, I think. To clarify, cause I don't think I did a very good job last time, there's __no set date__ this story gets updated. I try for once every month. It doesn't mean 4 weeks exactly, could be 5-6 weeks, depends_.

* * *

**Flints of ember filled the thick waves of steam rising from the Colossal Titan's body as he stood slowly. **

**"****H-Hey…" Connie said shakily, watching the Titan destroy the houses with a sweep of his hand. "Those houses will drop on us. You think one of those houses…is Eren's?" Pieces of fiery wreckage came falling. "Eren's house…is eavesdropping!" He laughed madly. **

"Connie, dude, what the fuck?" Ymir couldn't help but laugh.

"Now is not the time for dumb puns." Despite his words, Eren was grinning.

"Humor is how I cope. Don't judge."

"Humor is good," Petra said to him. "It keeps people from panicking or becoming too frightened to do anything."

Connie beamed at her. "Thank you, Petra. It's so nice to be appreciated."

**"****Sasha, could you smack Connie?" Jean requested from Rogue's shoulder, still staring ahead at the Colossal Titan.**

They giggled at Jean's request.

**Sasha whacked Connie on the head with one of her Thunder Spears. **

Connie tapped his head with his knuckle. "It's rock solid."

**"****I don't think he knows our location," Mikasa observed, crouching on a roof with Armin. **

**"****Yeah," Armin said. "He's making Shiganshina a sea of flames by scattering burning debris." **

**The Colossal Titan picked up houses and threw them around. Rogue glared at him. ****_That bastard… This time, you think you can burn down my city?! _**

**Some of the wreckage fell close to the group. "A-Armin! The fire! Your orders?!" Connie asked him in alarm. **

**"****Hurry it up!" Sasha said in fear. **

**Armin thought back to Bertolt threatening him on the roof. "I can tell," Bertolt had said, holding up his sword. "You're standing there shaking so much, you can't do a damn thing."**

"Bertolt really broke Armin's confidence with that."

"He should have known better than to think the same ploy would work twice."

"Not to mention it was not the time to play peacekeeper."

**Armin turned to look at Jean. "Jean, can you take my place?" All eyes turned to Armin. "I just have no idea…what to do… I was wrong reading Bertolt, and look where it got us. Jean! You're better suited for this!" **

**Jean was startled by his words. Then he looked to his right. "The river! Move to the river! Everyone aboard Eren! Conserve our gas!" **

**The Colossal Titan walked, his back to them. **

**"****Eren," Jean said, "at some point, we'll have to get Bertolt's attention, but until then, don't let him see you." He and the rest of the group stood near Rogue's nape, who was crouching, as they all spied on the Colossal Titan. "Armin," Jean continued, "I'm alright at reading situations, but I'm coming up empty with a plan to get us out of this. In the end, we're all counting on you."**

**Armin did not appear to be too confident in Jean's words. **

Sasha snapped her fingers. "What if Eren grabbed the Colossal Titan's foot and used the hardening to glue him to the ground? Oh, but wait no, the Colossal Titan's probably strong enough to rip that part of the ground out."

"Points for creative thinking, though," Hange said encouragingly. "I'll write it down anyway."

"I don't know." Levi rubbed his jaw. "Might be a real hindrance to Bertolt."

Petra agreed, "It would be awkward trying to walk around with that stuck to his foot."

"Eren would also need to leave that body and transform again," Erwin said, considering the other factors. "It'll impact his stamina and there are more opponents running around that still have to be dealt with."

* * *

**"****We're done cleaning up here," Dirk reported to Levi, landing on a roof across from him. "The only small ones left are the ones way at the front." Many small Titans were crowded around the soldiers, who stood upon the abandoned, red-tiled homes. "Still, how will we take down the Beast Titan? He's perfectly content sitting way over there, not moving an inch."**

**In the distance, the Beast Titan sat cross-legged, flanked on both sides by nearly a dozen 15-meter Titans total. **

**"****Yeah," Levi said, "it seems he's a coward. Not like he's ever had balls to begin with." **

"That is a disturbing image."

"Ew, dude, why would you say that? Now it's in my head, too."

"Ugh, and mine."

"Can we please not talk about hairy balls? I'm eating here!"

**"****You take a break. We'll mop up the rest of the small ones. Let's go!" **

**"****Roger!" The other soldiers followed after Dirk. **

**_Shit…_**** Levi glanced over his shoulder. On the other side of the Wall was a storm cloud worth of steam. ****_What was that explosion? What happened to those guys? Did Hange and the others avoid it? I've gotta hurry to that side and… _**

**The sound of something cutting through the air was heard before a small piece of rock hovered by Levi's face. Time seemed to slow and larger rocks were shown suspended around him. **

"What in the..."

"Holy fucking mother of—"

"Duck!"

**Levi's expression morphed into shock and he grunted, crossing his arms to brace against the force. He gasped. Rocks pelted and destroyed the houses around him.**

Sasha gasped when it hit her. "Is the Beast Titan throwing rocks at us?!"

**A wave of destruction came from the edge of the town, heading inward. Soldiers groaned and cried out. Red mist spurted into the air, following the wave of destruction. **

Connie stared in horror. "Holy Mother Maria..."

Their mouths opened in shock, some flinching away from the TV.

**Levi's lone visible eye widened, seeing the bodies get ripped apart. **

**The ground was littered with corpses.**

**"****Hmm…" The Beast Titan observed, flexing his long-nailed fingers as the Cart Titan prepared boulders by his legs. "That one was a little bit high…"**

Eren growled furiously, "That bastard _is_ throwing shit at us!"

"We should have seen this coming. He pulled the same stunt at Utgard Castle," Historia huffed, frowning.

"I fucking knew it," Jean swore solemnly. He'd had a bad feeling when the hairy giant had blocked Wall Maria's outer gate with a boulder. _He's going to start nailing us with pieces of rocks_. How were they going to avoid those while trying to get close to him?

**"****Oh, leave it right there," the Beast Titan said to the Cart Titan, who rolled another boulder by him. With both hands, he picked it up and ground it into small pieces. "Well, the first pitch was a warm-up." He brought up his arms straight above his head. "I'm going for a perfect game!" **

"He's just going to keep pelting us every time we stick our heads out until no one's left. It really is just a game for him," Levi said in disgust.

**At the top of the Wall, Erwin yelled down at the soldiers. "Frontal bombardment! All troops, take cover!" **

**"****Huh?" Marlowe stood, holding the reins to his horse. On the other side of the animal, Floch had his hands over his ears. **

**"****What was that?" Sandra asked Marlowe. **

**"****Shit! You guys!" Levi screamed, heading toward the edge of the town where the veteran soldiers had just been hit. **

**Dirk, still alive, struggled to push himself up. He gasped as the Beast Titan threw more pieces of rock at them. Once more the rocks pelted the soldiers and the structures, destroying everything they came into contact with. The humans cried out in pain and Levi quickly dove down, taking shelter between two houses to avoid getting hit. **

**More bodies were torn apart, forming red mists that flooded the town while Erwin watched from the Wall. **

"At this rate, he'll kill them all before they can even get close to him," Jean said, feeling pity for the soldiers.

"The hell are they supposed to do against rocks?" Eren asked, agitated. Could even his Titan be able to close the gap? Or would he get shredded before he could make it? "How are they even supposed to approach him?"

"Come right at him and he pelts them with rocks and they get torn up," Mikasa said thoughtfully. "Try to flank him and he'll probably just send some of the 15-meter Titans to attack once the soldiers leave the town and enter the flat ground, where 3D gear is useless."

"It's going to be near impossible to beat him by engaging in a long-range fight," Petra said, unable to figure out a way to take down the Beast Titan from far away. "The Thunder Spears' range is very limited and Eren's Titan can't throw as well as the Beast Titan."

"The bastard's arms are very long," Levi noted, picturing getting into the Titan's personal space. Would the stupidly long arms make it difficult to attack an opponent who had gotten in real close? "If it's Eren's Titan that fights him, it'll be difficult for Zeke if Eren gets in nice and close. But he may be able to work make it work still. We don't know. We can't exactly apply the same principles since he's a Titan and not one with a humanistic body like Eren's Titan or the Female Titan."

"At least we'll have a shot once we get in close. We just have to figure out a way to push in close to take him out." Erwin already had one idea on how a single person may be able to sneak up on the Beast Titan. Or two, with one coming from each side. _But it will require a big distraction_. His TV-self may have figured that out. _But will I tell them? _

A suicide charge was the perfection distraction but it would require he lead the soldiers into the jaws of death. Otherwise, they would never go for it. They weren't men and women who had served him for years. They were just raw recruits. Asking them to go kill themselves, the only way to get them to do that was if he himself took the lead. But that would mean giving up his goal of seeing the basement. Sure, there was a chance he might survive this last-ditch plan, but it was minuscule. _Can I do it?_ Could he throw away what he wanted for what was best for the Corps?

**"****What the hell was that sound?!" Flock asked from near the base of Wall Maria, on his knees with the remaining soldiers and horses. **

**"****Does the enemy have cannons?!" **

**"****If so, there's a hundred of 'em!" **

**"****Calm down!" Marlowe told them. "You're scaring the horses!" **

**"****The Titan's throwing boulders!" Levi ran to a stop before them. **

**"****Captain Levi!" **

**"****All of you, retreat to the Wall with the horses!" **

**"****Roger!" Marlowe replied and half a second later, they were under attack again. **

**The soldiers ducked their heads, covering their ears again at the loud noise while the roofs of the houses around them exploded.**

Levi was not thrilled about retreating. "We've accomplished nothing and he's got us running away with our tails between our legs." The sealing of the outer gate he contributed to Eren and his group, not his own.

"Well, our only other choice is to stand around and get killed," Hange pointed out unhappily. "We can't do anything unless someone comes up with a plan, fast."

With bated breath, Erwin waited to see what his TV-self would do. If the TV showed his twin had come up with the same suicidal plan he did but didn't share it with his soldiers, thus putting his own selfish desires above what was best for humanity behind the Walls, he might lose the respect of the people in the room. Even if they had said they wouldn't really hold what they saw on the TV against someone because that action hadn't been committed yet, deep inside they would always remember and judge him for it. _Will I be able to give up on my goal to do what's best for the Corps? And ultimately, the people of the Walls. _Was he that selfless?

**"****Hurry! Stay outta the line of fire!" **

**A bell was knocked off a tower and went crashing into the Wall. The soldiers and horses raced for the Wall, pieces of buildings falling from above them. Floch fell to his knees and clutched his head. **

**Levi grabbed the back of the crying boy's cloak. "Hey, stand up! You wanna die?!" **

**"****Commander!" Marlowe exclaimed when Erwin landed in front of them. **

**"****How's it looking?" Levi started toward him. **

**"****Terrible. His throws have destroyed the front line of houses. If he keeps on throwing, everything will get leveled. We won't have anywhere left to hide."**

"Talk about being stuck between a rock and a hard place," Hange summed up the situation.

"They're in deep shit," Ymir said. "Getting torn up on one side by the Beast Titan, who is also cutting off the route back home, and the Colossal Titan on the other side, raining down destruction and setting Shinganshina on fire."

"If they manage to get a win out of this, I'll have to hand it to them. I mean, here we are worrying despite having future knowledge but they're in it blind." Armin couldn't imagine what their TV versions had to be going through.

**"****We can't retreat to the other side of the Wall?" Levi asked, standing before Erwin. **

**"****No… The Colossal Titan is already heading this way." As the commander spoke, the Colossal Titan continued his attack. "Spreading fire all along his path. Supposing we scale the Wall to evade the stones, we'd have to leave the horses. If we retreat here, there's no hope for victory."**

**"****What happened to Hange's group?" Levi asked. "Is Eren alright?" **

Hange was still holding out hope some of her subordinates had made it. Maybe they were just lying injured somewhere. Until she saw otherwise, she would continue to believe it.

**"****I don't know," Erwin responded. "But the majority of them were caught in that explosion. We've been dealt a serious blow. The Beast Titan directed the small Titans so our soldiers would group up in one place. As such, while engaging the small Titans, Dirk Squad, Marlene Squad, and Klaus Squad were all wiped out by the bombardment." **

"Were they all that remained of the veterans?"

"Aside from a handful of people, probably yeah."

"I don't recognize many of their faces. They're either total rookies or soldiers from the Garrison that transferred over to help bolster our numbers."

"Either way, they're not the people you want such a big mission to come down to."

**Looking frightened, the soldiers listened to the two men talk. **

**"****In other words, our remaining forces this side of the gate…consists of you new recruits, Captain Levi, and…me."**

**The ground shook causing the recruits to scream while neither Erwin nor Levi reacted.**

**"****We're doomed!" **

**"****Erwin… Do you have any sort of plan?" Levi asked. **

**Erwin didn't reply, shifting his eyes to the side. **

_He has a plan, right? _Historia thought. It was Commander Erwin. He always had a plan. Didn't he?

Arms crossed, Erwin tapped his finger over his bicep. He knew for almost certain now. His TV-self had figured out the same suicidal plan Erwin came up with. Soon he would see if that Erwin would put aside his personal desire to do what was needed to be done. Not only because he wanted to know how things would turn out, but Erwin also wanted to know so he would know what kind of person he was. The self-serving bastard he always assumed himself to be, or someone better.

"Can you imagine though?" Hange asked, sympathizing with the fear they had to be feeling. "Even the smallest rock, something the size of a marble, could be deadly because of the speed with which he throws it. It could catch you in the eye or put a hole in one of your organs."

"It's almost impossible to dodge something so small and fast." Petra shuddered at the imagined pain of getting pelted with tiny rocks. "And the houses that are acting as a barrier won't stay standing for long. Soon they'll be reduced to rubble."

Levi grunted. "They're running out of time. The longer they wait around to attack, the less defense they'll have when they do take action."

* * *

**"****Yell at him, Eren!" Jean said to Rogue. "Don't let Bertolt get any closer to the Wall!" **

**The Rogue Titan stood and bellowed at the top of his lungs. The Colossal Titan stopped and tilted his head back. **

**"****He noticed!" Jean said. Then the Colossal kept walking. "What?! That bastard's ignoring us!"**

"Huh? Why is he ignoring them?" Historia asked, confused. Wouldn't he wanted to catch Eren?

"Probably cause it's his job to raze Shinganshina to the ground," Ymir replied, putting herself in their shoes. "So that way the Corps doesn't get to find out what's in the Yeager family's basement." If the populace remained blind to the truth of the world, it would make invading Paradis Island infinitely easier.

"Why didn't they just destroy Shinganshina before we got there?" Mikasa asked. It seemed rather obvious to her. "They probably had the time to do it."

"I think it would have interfered with their plan," Armin answered her. "They wanted us trapped. But after Wall Maria's outer gate was sealed, there would be nothing keeping us there if Shinganshina was destroyed. We would have just ignored Bertolt and joined the Corps on the northern side of the Wall to help take out the Beast Titan and go home."

"Precisely. This way they've divided up our forces," Erwin pitched in. "And think about how difficult it would have been for the Beast Titan to hit us with his attacks if we used the Colossal or Armored Titans as shields. It would have been a major annoyance for them too to get caught in the crossfire."

"Makes me think of the phrase, 'Too many cooks in the kitchen,'" Hange said. "They wouldn't have been able to fight efficiently if they were all gathered up in one place."

**"****Hey! What now, Jean?! At this rate…" Connie trailed off. **

**"****I know that! Eren, go stop his lanky legs!" **

**Rogue did as Jean advised, running at the Colossal's legs. **

**"****But still!" Connie wondered. "How the hell are we gonna defeat him?!" **

**"****His gusts of hot steam make our 3D gear useless!" Sasha pictured the hooks being repelled by the steam exuding from the Titan's body. "Right?!"**

**"****You don't think I know that?!" Jean responded. "But right now, we've got no choice but to try! We've gotta figure out his weakness!" **

**"****I'll do it," Mikasa said, eyeing the giant to her left. "You guys distract him. Connie, your Thunder Spear."**

**"****R-Right!" Connie began to remove it. **

**"****Armin, we need you to observe him from afar. So quit your moping," Jean ordered. "We gotta believe there's a way to beat him!" **

**"****Right!" **

**Rogue turned the corner and ran directly at the Colossal Titan. **

**"****Now! Scatter!" Jean ordered and they flew off. **

**_Don't you dare look down on me!_**** Eren thought. ****_You're nothing more…than a big damn wretched oaf! _****Rogue roared as he charged, going for the Colossal's left leg. At first, Rogue was pushed back. Then the Colossal Titan stopped, looking down. Grunting, Rogue began to shove the large red leg back. **

**Sasha stopped and said, "H-He's shoving him!"**

They felt their hopes go up at once, getting excited.

"He's doing it! He's doing it!"

"Eren might be able to beat him!"

"Maybe there's hope after all!"

**Go, Eren!" Connie shouted. "Knock him over!" **

**_There has to be some sort of way! _****Jean thought frantically. **

**Armin gasped when the Colossal lifted his leg back. **

"I take it back. There's no hope."

"Dammit, are you kidding me?!"

"We should have seen this coming."

"You'd think we'd learn our lesson by now about getting optimistic too soon."

**_What? _****Rogue was sent flying at the top of the Wall, crashing thunderously into it, his friends staring with terrified faces. **

Historia and Connie shrieked in surprise.

Sasha's face paled. "I did _not_ expect him to send Eren flying like that."

"I know he's strong and he knocked down Wall Maria's outer gate," Armin said shaken, "but...but that was something else."

"That was him kicking and smashing our hopes and chances of survival," Jean said gloomily.

**"****Eren!" Mikasa cried out as Rogue lay on his back, eyes closed. His eyes half-lidded, Eren appeared to be dazed. **

"I can't be down already!" Eren objected, shocked and furious. "I don't fucking believe it!"

"Dude, did you _see_ how hard he kicked you?" Connie asked. "I practically felt it from over here. And you slammed into the Wall of all things, not a bunch of buildings. That had to hurt like a mother."

"Even if you heal," Hange said, "I bet that stunned you good."

**"****Hey… Is that Eren?" Levi asked, Erwin looking stunning next to him. "He got himself flung on top of the Wall? By him…" **

**"****Eren's not moving…" Mikasa said shakily. **

**"****He's not dead!" Jean told her. "Focus on the monster at hand!" Behind him, the Colossal Titan approached. "That might have been pushing it too far… If we run at him without a plan, that's what happens. Unless… Unless we can somehow turn the tables on him, this recovery operation, all of our lives, and the future of humanity will be doomed! Having said that, I'm not about to sit around while we all get slaughtered!" Jean stood and fired his hooks. "Let's go on the attack!" **

**Connie and Sasha followed. The three of them and Mikasa flew straight at the behemoth. **

**"****He doesn't know about Thunder Spears yet!" Jean explained. "Connie, Sasha, and I will distract him! Mikasa will strike in the opening!"**

**"****Roger!" **

**"**Please work, please work, please work, please work!" Historia begged under her breath.

**"****Hey, moron! I'll poke out your stupid eyes!" Jean threatened, on eye-level with the large Titan. **

**"****You huge idiot!" Connie taunted him. **

"You need to work on your insults, Connie," Jean remarked. "You should have called him 'a walking chickenshit.' Come to think of it, I should have called him that."

"What about 'mega douche' or 'giant assclown,'" Eren provided. "I like those."

"Those are good ones."

"Thanks, loudmouth."

"You're welcome, blockhead."

**"****You massive pervert lord!" Sasha yelled at the Colossal Titan. **

"Pervert lord?" Ymir echoed, chuckling. "Nice."

"Well, he used to check out Annie all the time."

**_This distraction is so obvious… _****Jean stared the Colossal Titan down. Meanwhile, Mikasa appeared behind him. ****_But if we nail him with a Thunder Spear! _**

"Fingers crossed," Hange said, crossing her fingers for real.

**Mikasa shot out two Thunder Spears to his nape but the Colossal Titan released a gust of steam. The four braced themselves. The Thunder Spears became dislodged and flew behind Mikasa before exploding, the Colossal watching from the corner of his eyes. The hooks then became dislodged, sending the four soldiers flying back. **

**"****Guys!" Armin yelled, one arm protecting his face. ****_Is it useless? His hot steam even knocked away the Thunder Spears! _**

**"****Connie!" Sasha said, seeing him cough, small burns on his face. **

**"****Shit! Breathing it in burned my throat!"**

A few of them flinched, imagining the scorching sensation and grabbing their necks.

"From the way things are going," Mikasa said. "I'm worried even with our future knowledge we might end up losing if Bertolt transforms."

"He absolutely must be taken out before he transforms." Petra thought it was the safest route. "Otherwise, he'll be unstoppable. So far he only seems to be vulnerable when he's human."

Hange tapped her pen on her notebook thoughtfully. "Everyone and everything has a weakness. If only we can find one to exploit, just in case we fail to take him out before he transforms when we're out there ourselves."

"Hope for the best but plan for the worst," Erwin said his mantra.

**Mikasa landed a couple of yards behind Armin. "Mikasa," Armin said, "you're bleeding!" **

**"****I'm fine." Mikasa held her right bicep, shoulders slumped, on her knees. Jean stood not far behind her. "A bit of shrapnel from the Thunder Spears got me." Her face showed burns as well. "Thought of anything yet?"**

**"****What?"**

**"****Have any clues for a counterattack?" Mikasa clarified. **

**"****Not one…" **

**Jean—also with burns on his face—Mikasa, and Armin turned at the sound of bricks falling. The Colossal Titan walked causally. **

**Armin looked particularly stressed at what he was looking at. ****Through the dust, the Armored Titan walked with slow, purposeful steps. **

"Already?" Connie groaned, slumping back in his spot. "He's up? Really?"

"I was hoping he'd be down for a little longer." Armin saw the chances of their TV-selves getting out of this dwindling even further, which he didn't think was possible, but apparently it was.

Sasha nodded. "Yup, we're fully screwed now."

"Do they even have enough Thunder Spears to beat him again?" Petra recalled Mikasa had fired both of hers but Jean, Connie, and Sasha should still have two each. "I think they have maybe six between them, max."

"I don't know," Hange said warily. "And Reiner knows what they do now so he'll have his guard up." Before, Reiner would have assumed only Eren's Titan might be able to beat him if he got caught in one of Eren's locks. _He won't be so reckless anymore_.

* * *

**The Beast Titan took up position and hurled more rocks at the homes, sending another wave of death and destruction through the town. **

**"****The Beast Titan has a good guess where we're at," Levi said, horses and humans whimpering around him. "This place will look like a honeycomb soon. Erwin, if you're saying we've got no chance to counterattack, let's get ready to flee." He pointed at the top of the Wall. "Wake Eren sprawled out up there. Ride him and flee with as many people as possible. At least we'll have some survivors."**

Historia was with him on that. "From the way things are looking it's probably best we get our greatest assets out of there."

"Mikasa and Corporal Levi can probably survive out there by themselves and find a way back on their own." Armin would prefer Mikasa also hitch a ride with Eren if it came to a retreat, but she and Levi were most likely to survive in hostile Titan territory than anyone else.

It didn't seem good to Ymir. "What kind of chances are we gonna have even if Eren and Erwin survive?"

"I'd rather not think about it," Sasha said with a groan.

"The Corps is all but gone." It felt almost surreal for Mikasa to say, considering it felt like they'd been a part of her life for a very long time. "It's only Commander Erwin and the new Squad Levi that's left. The rest are recruits."

"Kinda scary to think the only soldiers they've got left are the other two branches." Jean did not envy the situation their TV-selves were in. "How're _they_ going to fight Marley? Aside from a small fraction of Garrison soldiers who have seen battle, the rest are basically useless."

"The Garrison soldiers and the MP lazy-asses will seriously need to be kicked into shape for the war to come." Eren almost smiled at the thought of Keith Shadis beating the soldiers' asses back into gear.

"We've still gotta convince them first about what's coming." Connie couldn't even imagine how they would do that, considering how stubborn the Royal Government was. Like a kid sticking his fingers in his ears and closing his eyes, refusing to be reasonable.

**Erwin didn't say a word, his attention shifting when he heard Marlowe speak. **

**"****Hey! The horse got away!" Marlowe grabbed Floch's elbow. "That was your job!" **

**"****Shut up!" Floch yelled, still sitting. "Like it matters!" **

**"****Excuse me?!"**

"This is just like those soldiers during the Battle for Trost," Jean said, recalling the soldiers who had given up and hidden instead of supplying the combatant teams with gas. "He's called it quits."

"Poor guy," Historia said sympathetically. "How helpless they must feel. They're not like those soldiers who had refused to act because they were scared to confront the Titans. They, at least, could do something. These recruits can do nothing but die. Saving the horses doesn't mean much with the route back to safety is cut off."

"But there has to be a way out." Despite his words, Connie didn't sound all that optimistic. "Right?"

That no one had a reply for him only made him more pessimistic about the situation.

**"****Those veteran soldiers were insanely strong and they died in an instant!" Floch continued. "You know as well as I do! What good is protecting horses…when there's nobody left to ride them home?! It all made sense at one point…" Elbows on his knees, Floch clutched his head. "If humanity just hid behind the Walls, we'd someday get slaughtered by Titans out of nowhere."**

**A group of Garrison soldiers stood before a stage. Onstage were five Scouts. A man with a Wings of Freedom insignia stood in the front, giving a passionate speech. **

**_"_****_Somebody has to bite the bullet and risk taking action. In order for others to not become victims, we needed people to become the victims themselves." _****Floch stood among the Garrison soldiers the Survey Corps man was addressing. ****_"Who will be that brave soldier? When I was asked that, I actually believed I could be that someone!"_**

**Back in the present, Floch cried. "But I never thought…that being sent to my death…would turn out to be so utterly meaningless in the end!" **

Armin could understand why he was feeling like that. "It's one thing to know you're going to end up killed. It's another to know your death was pointless."

"Just rubs salt in the wound," Ymir said, understanding how hard it would be to realize you'd thrown your life away for nothing.

**"****Now that I think about it, I bet almost everyone ends up saying the same thing as me." Bodies of a bloodied and deceased soldiers were shown laying around. "Why did I ever think that I'd…somehow be different?" **

**The soldiers around Floch had nothing to say. **

"I get why he might feel that way, and there's nothing wrong with valuing your own life, but there's nothing else to be done now, either," Eren said stubbornly. "No point in complaining about it. All his whining and crying is doing is shattering everyone else's resolve. They'll be too scared to do anything. If I know I'm going to die, I'm going to go down swinging."

"Not everyone can steel themselves the way you can, Eren," Jean said, not looking at him. "Some people are going to have a hard time coming to terms with a difficult situation. It'll make them waver."

**"****What if whoever's left of the recruits and Hange's group scatter on horses…and try to make it home?" Levi proposed a plan of escape. "By using them as a decoy, you guys could escape on Eren."**

No one was surprised by Levi's words. They all knew certain individuals were more important than others, Eren being the most important one.

Eren knew it himself but wasn't thrilled about it. He would happily give up his life in order to save his friends. Due to his unique position though, if it came down to it, he'd have to stand by and watch the people closest to him sacrifice themselves to save him.

**"****Levi, what would you do?" Erwin asked him. **

**"****I'm facing the Beast Titan. I'll draw him away—"**

**"****Impossible. You won't even get close."**

**"****Probably not. But if you and Eren return home alive, there's still hope. Isn't that the best we can ask for at this point? What a huge defeat... To be perfectly honest, I doubt a single one of us is making it back alive." Levi turned, looking at his hand. **

**"****Yes, assuming we had no way to counterattack."**

Gasps came from around the room.

Jean relaxed, and shook his head. "Should have known he'd come up with a plan."

"I knew it!" Historia cheered, throwing up her hands. "I knew it, I knew it!"

"What plan, though?" Sasha said curiously. "I can't think of anything!"

"That's why he's the commander, duh," Ymir said.

They leaned forward eagerly, feeling a lot better now.

Erwin knew their bright expressions would fall once they heard what he had to say. _I can't believe I'm actually doing it_. Truly he'd always assumed he had used the Corps for his own goals. And that his goals were what mattered the most to him, they were the most important. Now his TV-self was proving him wrong. Was he really about to give it all up?

**Levi turned to him with wide eyes. "Is there a way?" **

**"****Yes," Erwin answered quietly. **

**"****Why didn't you say that sooner?" Levi demanded as the Beast Titan launched another attack. "Why'd you keep your shitty mouth shut?"**

Sasha winced when neither man tried to take cover. "Don't just stand there, duck. Sheesh."

"Well, Commander Erwin might have to crouch but Corporal Levi is close enough to the ground to be safe," Ymir whispered to her couchmates.

Sasha, Connie, and Historia pressed their hands to their mouths to muffle their laughter.

**"****If the plan goes well, you may be able to take down the Beast Titan. But it will take the recruits…and myself to give our lives." **

As Erwin had expected, their faces fell.

"What?"

"Give up their...lives?"

"All of them? Is that what it's really going to take? But that's..."

"Even if they succeed, there might only be a couple of dozen survivors..."

"They can't die with the world breathing down their necks."

"Why can't things ever be easy for us? The TV versions of us, that is."

**Projectiles hit the houses around them and the Wall, the ground trembling. **

**Levi and Erwin turned to the screaming rookies, shielding their heads. **

**"****It's like you said. Either way, most of us will die." Erwin started to walk away. "No, it's almost guaranteed we'll all be wiped out. In which case, we can stake our heroic deaths on a slim chance of victory. For this to work… To ask these young ones to die, it would take an expert con man and a whole slew of lies." He approached the wall of one of the houses, Levi following. "If I do not lead the vanguard, none of them will follow. And I will die before anyone else. Without ever learning what's in the basement…"**

**"****What?" Levi said in disbelief. **

Armin tried to picture it. Coming so close to seeing the ocean and all the other wonders of the world but having to sacrifice his life right before for a small chance at victory. He would do it if he had to but it would be so hard, giving up after almost reaching the finish line.

_That's gotta fuck with you so much_. Ymir couldn't imagine coming so close yet being denied that which you'd spent your whole life pursuing. _At least now he knows. They all know_. It was ugly and hard to swallow but they knew the truth.

**With a sigh, Erwin sat on a wooden crate. "I… I want to go to the basement," he confessed. "Everything I've done till now…was because I thought this day would come. That someday, I could check if I was right. So many times…I thought death would be so much easier." **

_He used the Corps to further his own agenda, but he got us closer than anyone else ever had_. To Mikasa, it didn't matter that his reasoning wasn't noble. The commander's long-range formation that he came up with to make expeditions less deadly had still saved countless lives and severely reduced the mortality rate. Which was still high but not as insane as it used to be before him.

Eren felt his respect for the commander grow. Discarding his lifelong goal and his life itself for what was best for the Walled people. _Regardless of his motives, we are where we are thanks to him. I owe my life to him_.

"I don't really care why he did it since he got us where we needed to be," Connie said, not all that concerned. Sure it meant Erwin wasn't as great as people made him out to be, but if he was willing to toss his life aside now because it was his turn to do so, it meant he wasn't that selfish, either.

**Erwin stared at his hand. "But always, the dream I shared with my father flashed through my mind. And now, I'm close enough to the answers to reach out and grab them." **

"You're not as selfish as you like to think you are." Hange squeezed his shoulder. "Not if you're willing to throw away your dream for us."

"But will it be worth it?" Erwin asked, almost feeling the struggle TV-Erwin was going through, weighing his desire to know the basement's contents vs. the small possibility of victory. "What if the plan fails?" Sure it wasn't really real but it hurt to think his TV-version may die in vain.

"You always gamble big," Levi muttered. "Large risks for large rewards." It was nothing new. Except this time, Erwin was going to put himself on the front line instead of sending others to their deaths as he normally did. No matter that he'd used the Corps for personal gain, when the situation called for it and it came his turn to sacrifice his life, Erwin would do it.

**Erwin bowed his head. "They're right there… But, Levi… Can you see them? Our comrades?"**

**Phantoms of the deceased soldiers appeared around Erwin. To Levi's right was Petra and the rest of his squad as well as Farlan and Isabel, who stood behind them.**

"Whoa, that's intense."

"Talk about serious pressure."

"Can't let all their deaths be in vain."

"I don't even want to think about it. The weight of it, their lives, their deaths, would be crushing."

"That's why I'm happy following orders instead of giving them."

**"****Our comrades are looking at us," Erwin said as the two of them stood surrounded by phantoms. "They want to know what became of the hearts they gave." Members of Hange's squad were shown. **

Hange hoped that wasn't an ill omen.

**"****Because the fighting isn't over yet." **

**Again the two didn't react to the bombardment. **

**"****Is it all just inside my head?" Erwin asked. "Nothing more than a childish delusion?" **

**Levi narrowed his eyes and knelt before him. "You've fought well. It's all thanks to you that we've come this far. I'm making the choice." He glared at the commander. "Give up on your dream and die. Lead the recruits straight into hell. I will take down the Beast Titan."**

**Surprise came over Erwin's face before he smiled in acceptance. **

"Having to give up after coming so close to accomplishing your dream, I don't know if I could do it. But then, what're your personal desires over the lives of all of our people..." Historia wondered for a second if she was defaulting back to her Christa persona, giving up what she wanted for everyone else's sake. _No, it's not the same_. This acceptance, this sacrifice came from a more genuine place. Rather than doing it to earn approval, she wanted to do it because she cared.

"It sucks," Sasha summed it up accurately and unhappily. "It just plain ole sucks."

**The Beast Titan crumbled up a large boulder between his hands. Hearing the faint neighing of horses, he looked up curiously. Three dust clouds were moving through the town, heading for the edge. The cries became louder. **

**"****Charge!" Erwin screamed, leading them. **

"Well, there they go."

"Is he going to survive?"

"Are any of them?"

"What if he doesn't? What're we going to do without him?"

"He better make it," Jean said. They were going to need their brilliant commander now more than ever. He could sympathize with what a heavy weight it was, bearing so many lives on his shoulders, but it also wasn't something just anyone could do. Erwin could just as easily throw his life away like he could other soldiers, if that was what was needed of him. _Intelligent, ruthless, but also selfless if the situation calls for it_. There wasn't anyone else like him among the entire military's brass_. _

**"****Well, I figured they wouldn't lie down and die, but… A suicide charge? Here I was thinking they could do better than that…" The Beast Titan stood, beginning to raise his arm. **

"You won't be talking so high and mighty soon," Historia said in annoyance. "Just wait until Corporal Levi gets his hands on him."

Connie hadn't forgotten what the Beast Titan had done to his village and would never forgive him for it either. "I hope Corporal Levi carves him up real good."

**"****Now! Fire!" Erwin fired off a green smoke round. The soldiers followed suit. **

**"****Smoke?" The Beast Titan noted as the three groups released over a dozen green smoke rounds each. "Oh, it's those signal things…" He brought his hands above his head, getting ready to throw. **

**Erwin grunted and said, "It's coming, move!" **

**Faces full of terror, the soldiers screamed, splitting off. **

"Look at them, they know full well they're heading to their deaths." Petra felt a mix of pity as well as a lot of respect for them.

"They're scared shitless and still going for it." Levi hoped he was able to honor Erwin and those soldiers' sacrifice and slice the Beast Titan to ribbons.

* * *

**"****I'm announcing our final operation!" Erwin bellowed to the frightened rookies. "All troops, line up! We will be doing a cavalry charge. Our goal: To rush the Beast Titan." Erwin and Levi stood before the recruits gathered before them. "Of course, we'll be making ourselves ideal targets. So we'll wait until he's ready to throw and fire our smoke signals together. That should reduce his accuracy somewhat. While we're acting as a decoy, Captain Levi will kill the Beast Titan. That is our plan."**

**"****What?" Levi flew along the Wall, remembering asking Erwin as he knelt, readying his gear. "You want me to go after him with just 3D gear? He's standing in an empty area. There's not even a house or tree in sight."**

**"****Wrong…" Erwin told him. "There happens to be a line of objects at just the right height." **

**Levi fired an anchor into the neck of one of the 15-meter Titans that stood on the edge.**

"Of course! I can't believe we missed that. It's so obvious." Too used to seeing them as monsters and targets, Sasha hadn't realized they effectively doubled as pillars. They were perfect targets, standing still and providing a clear path to the Beast Titan.

**The Titan shifted its eyes to Levi but didn't move otherwise.**

"I suspected it, but they can't do anything even if they are aware," Hange said in interest. "Zeke won't be alerted because his little posse there can't move a muscle without express orders from him."

**_"_****_Sneak close using the Titans…"_**** Erwin's voice narrated as Levi took out the Titan's nape and moved to the next one. ****_"...and assassinate the Beast Titan."_**

**In the corner of his eye, Levi could see the suicide charge. "I'm sorry..." Levi said as the soldiers continued their mad run.**

* * *

**In the flashback, the recruits stared at Erwin in shock. Sandra fell to her knees and vomited. **

**"****Standing and waiting just means we'll be showered by more boulders. Get ready on the double!" Erwin said to them. **

**"****Are we all…heading…to our deaths?" Floch asked him. **

**"****Yes."**

**"****If we're gonna die anyway, you're saying it's better…if we die fighting?" **

**"****Yes."**

**"****Wait…" Floch's voice shook. "If we're gonna die anyway, no matter how we die, even if it's disobeying orders, it all means nothing, right?" **

**"****You're precisely right," Erwin said in the same plain tone. "It's all meaningless. No matter what dreams or hopes you had… No matter how blessed a life you've lived…" **

**The Beast Titan fired off more projectiles. **

**_"_****_It's all the same if you're shredded by rocks. Everyone will die someday. Does that mean life is meaningless?" _****Erwin asked. **

**Rocks rained down like meteorites, heading for the crying, charging soldiers. **

**"****Was there even any meaning in our being born? Would you say that of our fallen comrades?" Erwin asked the recruits. "Their lives… Were they meaningless?" Once more the phantoms appeared behind Erwin and Levi. "No, they weren't!" Erwin yelled, his face twisting. "It's us who gives meaning to our comrade's lives!" **

They straightened their spines unconsciously at his commanding voice.

Mikasa thought back to when she'd told Eren's parents about his plan to join the Corps. Eren had said almost the same thing then as Erwin was saying now. About the soldiers who had died and how their deaths would be in vain if no one carried on.

**"****The brave fallen! The anguished fallen! The ones who will remember them…are us, the living! We die trusting the living who follow to find meaning in our lives!" **

**Speechless, the recruits listened with tears in their eyes.**

**_"_****_That is the sole method in which we can rebel against this cruel world!"_**

**With green smoke flares and dark rocks flying above them, the soldiers raced on.**

**"****My soldiers, rage!" Erwin screamed from the forefront of the charge. **

"No one could have inspired them to go into a suicide charge like this," Sasha said in awe.

Ymir could barley sit still. "Hell, I'm tempted to jump in and go for it!"

"I'm getting worked just sitting here, too," Mikasa agreed, wanting to jump in as well.

**"****My soldiers, scream!" **

Connie, Historia, and Hange started cheering, getting them all more riled up.

_Ah, fuck it._ Jean thought and started yelling with them.

**"****My soldiers, fight!" **

"Hell yeah, win or go down fighting!"

"Time to—"

**Blood exploded as rocks met human and animal flesh, ripping them apart. **

Some of them screamed and jerked away from the TV in surprise, the noise dying down.

**One rock took down Erwin's horse while another tore out a chunk of his abdomen.**

Stunned silence had replaced the excited screaming.

_This is the end for me_. Erwin thought, not as disturbed as he had thought he might be. He was greatly disappointed for dying when he was so close. But he consoled himself with the fact he knew the truth now and he could change things.

**Erwin began to fall.**

Petra could hardly believe what she was seeing. It seemed far too impossible, yet it was happening before her eyes. Of all people, she had not expected the commander to become a casualty. Sure it was a suicide charge, but he'd always seemed so larger than life. Seeing him fall was beyond shocking. Even her own death hadn't surprised her as much. She'd always expected there might come a time where she would have to lay her life down for humanity, but the commander? _What's going to become of the Corps without him? _

_If Levi dies too, it's the end of a generation for the Survey Corps._ Hange felt saddened at the thought. Only among the Scouts was the age of forty considered old. For the Garrison and the Military Police, it was middle-age._ We really thought we would make it._ Mike was gone, so was Nanaba, plus their team, and Squad Levi, and also all of the veterans. _And now Erwin, too_. With the exception of Levi, she'd always assumed Erwin would be the last to die. It felt as if an era was coming to an end.

_We need him still. Everyone else is either useless or lacking_, Levi thought anxiously. The monarchy may have kept the peace for over a hundred years, but they would rather pretend the threat didn't exist instead of doing something about it. Or maybe they simply didn't care about being invaded. Nile Dok, the MP Brigade commander, didn't have the intellect. Pixis and Zackly did. But Levi wasn't sure the Garrison commander had the stomach for what was coming, whereas the commander-in-chief did but he didn't have the charisma to instill inspiration and loyalty. Zackly was more of a politician. _It's gotta be Erwin_. None of their other leaders exemplified all the necessary qualities.

Meanwhile, the teens continued to fret.

"It's too far for him to receive proper medical attention," Historia said worriedly.

Jean shook his head. "He'll bleed out before we get back, if he isn't dead already."

"Not to mention it would mean first getting past the Beast Titan, the 15-meter Pure Titans, and that Cart Titan, too." Mikasa hoped Levi was able to use the distraction to get close to the Beast Titan and take his hairy ass down.

"I don't even think it matters. Part of his torso literally got shredded by that boulder." Connie was sure Erwin was dead. _How can anyone without Titan powers survive that? _

"But man," Ymir started, "Commander Erwin, I always thought his motivation was humanity's freedom. He seemed like the epitome of what a commander should be. I guess he was really just driven by was his own reasons."

"Doesn't really matter, though," Armin said, shrugging. "In the end, even if that was what mattered the most to him and what drove him, he still threw it away so all the men and women he'd sent to their deaths, so all their sacrifices wouldn't be in vain."

"True."

"I'm more concerned with what we're going to do now." Jean was nervous some idiot bureaucrat might try to take over in order to climb the ladder and get recognition, or to increase his or her influence. "Who's supposed to lead the Corps from here on out? Aside from Captain Levi, all the other veterans are dead."

"Captain Levi's a good leader but a whole regiment is something else. Besides," Eren said, unable to see his captain leading the entire Corps, "he's more of a fighter, someone on the front lines, instead of a leader plotting shit in the back."

Sasha's shoulders were slumped. "Even if they win, they've experienced so much loss..."

In all honesty, Erwin felt a little flattered they looked like the fight was almost over because he was gone. It was also nerve-wracking to be put on a pedestal, knowing they were all expecting him to lead them through the hell that was heading their way. _No rest for the wicked_. He still had more fighting to do. More deaths and more responsibility to bear.

Propelled by his dream to know if his father's theory was right and to learn the basement's contents, he'd sent many to their demise. But he had deemed it acceptable because the end result was the same. It was what they all wanted: to learn the truth about Titans, about the world, and protect the people of the Walls. His specific motivations may have differed compared to the rest of the Scouts, they had been more selfish in nature, but the end goal was the same. _And now I know everything_. The truth was ugly and the danger to humanity behind the Walls was bigger than it had ever been. _I used their deaths to fuel my own goal_. He had sacrificed many men and women and gotten what he wanted. Now it was his job to ensure all those deaths weren't meaningless by helping achieve their most important goal: Protect humanity behind the Walls.

_That goal hasn't changed_. And it also hadn't been accomplished yet. Only the enemy had changed. And they were far more dangerous than the large, mindless, carnivorous humanoids that had plagued them for a century.

"Will you brats shut it already?" Levi barked at them when they got too loud. "The man's sitting right there. You all look like you're planning a funeral."

They smiled sheepishly and started to laugh.

"You're right, Captain. Guess we got too caught up."

"Our commander is right here."

"We just felt so bad for them. They are _us_."

_Of course I'm not going anywhere_. Erwin thought, running through all the things he still had to do. _There's more work yet to be done_.

* * *

**_Please Review~ _**


	5. Hero

**Chapter 5: Hero**

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Shingeki no Kyojin

**Previously**: The recruits fret over TV-Erwin's death. Erwin thinks there're things left he has to do. Levi and Jean think Erwin is invaluable and no one else in the military is like him.

**Season 4 Trailer:** I'd decided long ago if it came out while this story was going, I would add it in. It'll be the last chapter.

* * *

**"We die trusting the living who follow to find meaning in our lives!" Erwin yelled, standing before the stunned recruits. "That is the sole method in which we can rebel against this cruel world!" **

Eren nodded soberly. So many people had died for him, Humanity's Hope, believing he would liberate the Walled people and ensure their safety. He would not allow their sacrifice to be in vain. As the commander said, he had to give meaning to their deaths.

**The soldiers charged, green flares flying above them. **

**"My soldiers, rage!" Erwin screamed, leading the charge. **

This time, knowing what was coming, they braced themselves.

**"My soldiers, scream! My soldiers, fight!"**

**The rocks came flying at the group, obliterating humans and horses alike. Erwin stared in shock as one tore into his midsection. His eyes began to roll to the back of his head as he fell, body rolling on the ground. **

Historia winced at the scene. "It still got me."

"I just knew we were going to lose someone this season, too," Sasha said with a sad look.

**"The commander got—" Floch said, looking back. **

**"Don't look back! Charge!" Marlowe screamed and the soldiers cried out in reply. **

**_Pathetic_, the Beast Titan thought, watching them continue._ To never learn from the mistakes of history…_ Inside the Titan, Zeke spoke, "It's a tragedy how King Reiss stole their memories of the world. That's why they're repeating the same mistakes. In the end, they'll send every last person in the Walls, down to the children and elderly, on a suicide charge." **

"He almost sounds bitter about it," Petra noted curiously.

"You thought so too, huh?" Hange tilted her head. "If I didn't know any better I'd say he's almost sad and pities us."

"Apparently not sad enough not to kill us indiscriminately," Levi said snidely. "He's just looking down on us. The poor, mind-wiped idiots making the same mistakes."

Erwin disagreed with him._ I don't think that's entirely it_.

**Zeke glared and began to crush the boulder in his Titan's hand. "Saying if they're going to die, they may as well die proud. Bullshit!" The pieces of rocks crumbled, turning to dust in his hand. "I crushed it into dust…"**

"I don't care what he says, he'll always be a scumbag to me," Connie swore and no one could disagree with him.

**"What's gotten into me?" The Beast Titan stared at his hand as the dust flew away. "Why are you getting worked up?" He grabbed another large boulder and began to grind it up. "You're not like your father, right? You've gotta try to enjoy things." **

"I smell daddy issues," Ymir said at once, filing away that piece of info.

"Interesting." Erwin sensed something important in Zeke's words. "Psychologically it's important to him so it'll be good to know more about Grisha Yeager." He nodded at Hange to write it down. "It seems his father may be a sore point for Zeke. We'll see if we can work it into an advantage somehow."

"Our old man?" Eren frowned skeptically. "Aside from the huge secret he kept from us about where he was from and all that, he was a good dad." Eren had a lot of fond memories of his father. Prior to the breach, he'd had a happy and peaceful life—neighborhood bullies aside, though they were only a minor inconvenience. Eren had always admired his father. From what he could recall, his father had been a compassionate man and a great husband as well as a loving father.

"Your father was always kind to me." Mikasa smiled sweetly at the memory of Grisha speaking to her so warmly that horrific night. "He's the one who gave me a home and invited me to stay with you guys. Without him, I would have been so lost. All alone and cold in this world." Eren's mother had been just as wonderful and welcoming.

"And he always tried to answer all my questions," Armin said. "Always indulged my curiosity and never got tired of my thirst for knowledge."

"From the sounds of it, he was a great parental figure," Petra said, listening to the three.

"Zeke said he's trying to enjoy things because he's not like his father. Or trying not to be like him." Hange was careful with copying down the exact words that were used. There was obviously a reason why he had chosen those specific words. "He seems to imply Grisha was...uptight, perhaps? Stern? What's the opposite of someone who enjoys things?"

"Captain Levi," Connie joked with his friends and they giggled.

"Seriously, what are you four always giggling about?" Jean demanded, wanting to know.

Eren was dying to know too but refused to acknowledge it.

"Nothing," Historia replied innocently. "Just 3D maneuvers and stuff."

No one bought it.

"Anyway, let's continue." Erwin hit "Play" on the episode.

**"So let's turn them all into proud little chunks of meat!" The Beast Titan took up position to launch another attack. **

Jean sighed. "Shit, here we go again."

"It's worse than the Female Titan," Mikasa said. "Least they could do something against her."

_It's like lambs to a slaughter_. Levi thought. Except the lambs knew they were headed to the chopping block and knew they had no other choice.

**"The second volley is coming!" Marlowe pointed up his flare gun. "Fire!" He and the others fired off green smoke trails toward the Beast Titan. Marlowe breathed loudly, staring with wide, desperate eyes. _It's coming… _**

**Slowly, the Beast Titan's arm started to move forward, trails of green smoke around him. **

**_Is this how I die?_ Marlowe wondered, eyes locked in on the hand full of rocks. _I wonder what Hitch is doing…_ Hitch's sleeping face flashed on the screen. _Wait, I bet she's still in bed… _**

_How sweet. _Hange thought.

"Aw, Marlowe, buddy. I hope you make it." Connie mentally crossed his fingers.

**_Sounds nice… _Marlowe smiled, face covered in sweat. _I don't get it… Why am I, at a time like this?_ **

"Maybe he's—" Mikasa began.

**The projectiles came flying and one caught him in the face. **

"Never mind. I should have known."

"It's not like we actually knew him, but it still feels sad," Armin said, his heart going out to him.

"He was a good guy," Eren said. "He deserved better than that."

**Next to Marlowe, the others cried out and screamed. Horses were flung by the force of the hits. A large cloud of dust covered them.**

**"Yeah!" The Beast Titan threw up his arms and cheered. "Game over! You like that? I changed how I threw the pitch. Now you're done for."**

"I seriously hate this guy," Levi said flatly.

Petra sighed. "So much for him maybe having a little compassion."

**Through the dust cloud, shapes began to form and screams were heard. **

_That's right._ Eren thought. _We're still coming_. Their suicidal charge wouldn't end until they were all dead, or the Beast Titan was.

**Zeke blinked, startled at the panicked but still charging soldiers. **

**"Fire!" One of them screamed, frightened, and they all fired green smokes once again toward the Beast Titan. **

"I don't know who you are unknown soldier, but you have my deepest respect," Connie said admiringly.

"Not gonna lie, I'd be tempted to run off or play dead."

Sasha scoffed, "You might say that, Jean, but everyone knows you'd be leading the charge."

"Yup. Your secret's out," Historia said teasingly. "We all know you're actually a really decent person."

"Whatever," Jean said, getting embarrassed.

**The trails of smoke shot harmlessly past the Beast Titan. "Like I said, how is firing those things going to help you?" **

Eren narrowed his eyes. _Oh, just you wait._

"I hope Captain Levi teaches him a lesson he'll never forget," Jean said.

**A soldier was shown, screaming at the top of his lungs. **

**"All that screaming… What good is it going to do you?!" The Beast Titan's next attack wiped them out, broken bodies flying through the air. **

_I'm going to pay you back in full, just you wait._ Levi thought angrily. And if his other self failed, he was going to have to control himself and try not to put his foot through the TV.

**"Aww, you poor things…" Zeke said with pity in his voice. Green mist floated around him. To his right, a Titan was on the ground, steam rising out of it. **

"Here it comes!" Connie practically squealed. "Here it fucking comes!"

Fists clenched in laps, hearts pounding, they leaned forward in anticipation.

**_Hmm?_ Zeke saw the decaying Titans. _What's that? My Titans have fallen… _**

"And you're next," Historia said gleefully.

**A hook shot out of the green smoke and an enraged Levi hovered over him, Titan blood steaming off his face. **

"Finally!"

"Get him!"

"Turn him into mincemeat!"

They wiggled in their spots like impatient, eager children.

**Zeke's expression turned into a glare and the Beast Titan roared, taking a swipe at him. Levi went for it and slashed him all the way down the large arm, flying past his head. **

Yelling and cheering erupted around the room.

"Now this is what I was waiting for!"

"Let's see him have fun now!"

**The screen turned to a scene before the battle. "Huh? I need to watch out for a single soldier?" Zeke asked, looking over his shoulder at Reiner and Bertolt. **

**"Yes," Reiner said. "Corporal Levi is dangerous."**

"Damn straight he is!"

"The Beast Titan has no idea what's gonna hit him!"

"Captain Levi is going to beat him down good!"

The teens kept showering Levi with compliments and boasting how he was going to annihilate the Beast Titan.

_Unbelievable_, Levi thought. He felt slightly embarrassed listening to them. He knew if he tried to stop them they would only become more unbearable. Hange in particular would love making him uncomfortable.

**The Beast Titan's thumb and fingers at the knuckles were severed, blood erupting up his left arm. **

"Did he just take his _entire_ arm out?!"

"How can anyone be so cool?!"

"Ahh, watching this gives me great joy."

**_Is this Levi? _Zeke wondered, gaping. _My nape!_ Looking back, he covered the back of his neck in a panic when he felt the hook sink into his shoulder. Levi flew in front of him and slashed out the Beast Titan's eyes as he flew by. **

"He didn't see that coming! Ha! Get it?! Didn't see it coming?"

"Keep going!"

"Slice him to pieces!"

"That is the Ackerman family specialty."

**Zeke blinked, confused. _What the? I can't see a thing!_**

**Levi swung in an arch and went behind the Beast Titan. _Did he take out my eyes?_ Zeke thought as Levi cut out the Achilles' tendon of one foot before sliding to the other and doing the same. **

"Captain Levi, you're the best!"

"I love you so much!"

Hange screamed excitedly and shook Levi, who shrugged her off him.

**_My legs! _Zeke felt his body tilt without permission.**

"He can't even keep up!"

"Oh shit, he's so fast!"

They started clamoring for more.

**Levi moved before the Beast Titan landed on him and hovered high above the immobile Titan. **

**"What happened to all that fun you were having?!" Levi asked, growling. He went in for the exposed nape. **

**_I'll harden! _Zeke thought, teeth gritted as crystal began to form on the back of his neck. **

"Noooo!"

"Don't let him!"

"Kill this son of a bitch!"

**Levi came down at extraordinary speed. _I won't make it! _Zeke thought, panicked. **

_Why do they have to be so loud?_ Levi wondered when their frenzy continued. Despite his words, he was too elated to care much at the moment, thoroughly savoring the ruthlessness his TV-self was subjecting the Beast Titan to.

**"Come on, let's try to enjoy this!" Levi tore through the Beast Titan's hand before it could cover the nape. He began to slice through the skin at inhuman speed, screaming in anger as Zeke screamed in pain and fear. **

The group yelled in sync with them, many of them out of their seats now.

"This is the greatest thing I've ever seen!"

"It is GLORIOUS!"

"Is he even human?!"

_I don't think they've ever been this loud before_. Erwin mused, chuckling to himself. He quite relished seeing the Beast Titan get taken apart.

Connie and Historia were straight-up screaming like a pair of banshees now, no longer coherent.

Hange, Petra, and Armin were half-cheering half-laughing.

The rest were throwing insults at Zeke or cheering Levi on.

Meanwhile, Levi sank between Petra and Hange, trying to hide. "Stop it. All of you." He covered his ears at the noise. "Sit back down. This is getting out of hand."

They ignored him and kept hollering at the top of their lungs.

**With one final and wide cut, Levi forced Zeke out. **

**Zeke screamed, missing the edges of all four of his limbs. He turned and immediately caught Levi's sword in his mouth. **

They gasped and laughed.

"Oh, he's brutal."

"Eat that, jerk-face!"

"Let's see him try and run his mouth now!"

**"After transforming," Levi said, standing over him, "if your body's severely damaged, it's too busy healing to let you transform. Isn't that right?" The metal of his sword clinked against Zeke's teeth. **

"Oooh, ouch."

"Serves him right!"

"We got you now, fur-face!"

**Levi leaned down and pressed the blade in, tearing the skin. "Hey, answer me. Learn some manners."**

**Zeke's lone eye flitted about in panic.**

"War chief? Hah!" Historia smirked tauntingly. "What a weakling."

"Captain Levi sure put him in his place," Eren boasted.

"He's useless once you close the gap and get into his personal space," Sasha said.

"Still." Jean couldn't forget how the Beast Titan had ended most of the Corps. "He killed dozens of soldiers and nearly wiped us out. If it wasn't for Captain Levi, we'd be so fucked."

**_I can't kill him yet,_ Levi thought. _Isn't anyone out there still alive? _The Beast Titan's body was dying as soldiers' corpses lay littered around. _If they are, even on the brink of death, this injection will make them a Titan_. A small box with a needle and a vial were shown on the screen. **

Jean stared in wonder. "Whoa, is that what I think it is?"

"It has to be Titan serum!" Connie said in pure reverence.

Historia gasped, waving her arms excitedly. "That could change everything! If we have a way to make Titan serum!"

_Were we right about using Eren's Titan's spinal fluid?_ Levi wondered. _Or does that only work for Zeke, who has royal blood? _For all he knew their TV versions could have figured out something else entirely off-screen, about how to make the serum. _And we could be completely wrong._

"When did they learn how to do that?" Eren asked. "We missed it in the time skip, damn."

"How did we get it? Did we make it? What're the ingredients? SOMEBODY TELL ME!" Hange shrieked at the top of her lungs.

"Are you trying to make me deaf, four damn Four-Eyes?!" Levi flinched at the piercing sound. "That's it. Petra, switch with me. Or I'm going to strangle her."

"Very well," she said since he looked ready to carry out his threat. Petra stood and they exchanged seats.

"But this is amazing," Armin gushed. "Do you guys understand what this means? We can get more Titan powers on our side!" A new world of possibilities opened up before him. "Not only can we weaken Marley by taking their Titan powers, we can also strengthen ourselves at the same time now by turning a few of our people into Shifters."

Ymir's eyes widened. "Hell, eight of the nine Titans are on or will be on this island sometime in the near future. If we're able to get more of the Titan serum and take their Titan powers, we could become one of the world's superpowers!"

"I have no idea what that means but I like the sound of it," Sasha said giddily.

"Although technology-wise we're way behind," Ymir said to herself. Marcel's memories had let her glimpse things here and there that allowed her to see Marley had advanced quite a bit since her day.

"Why only bring one injection, though?" Petra asked, mentally counting all the Titans. "You'd think they would have brought at least three."

"I was wondering the same thing," Mikasa said. "Did we not have enough ingredients or something to make more? We had to know we were facing at least three Titan powers: the Beast, Colossal, and Armored."

Erwin had his suspicions. "Or perhaps we didn't make the Titan serum," he said.

"Something on your mind, Erwin?" Levi asked, noticing his deeply thoughtful expression.

"Just a guess," Erwin said. He'd share if he saw more proof. _But it would explain some of the things we've seen. Actually, it would explain a lot of what we've seen_. But Erwin would hold off on sharing for now. His theory seemed somewhat outrageous._ It's been bothering me since last season_. And the more he thought about it, the more it made sense._ If I'm right, this could be monumental for us_. Everything could go far more smoothly if he was right.

**_We can have them eat this guy and steal the Beast Titan's power. Someone, just anyone I can bring back to life._ Levi's thoughts turned to Erwin.**

They gasped excitedly.

"Yeah, let's give it to the commander!" Eren said at once.

"It'll be epic if he became the Beast Titan!" Connie's expression was of pure amazement. "Can you imagine?"

They were in awe at the image of Erwin as the Beast Titan, leading the charge.

"That would be the most extraordinary thing," Historia gushed.

"But is he still even alive?" Jean asked. "Where's his body?"

"It would be a miracle if he survived those wounds. And you guys know our luck," Mikasa said pointedly.

"I think you're right," Sasha admitted glumly. "He's probably dead."

"The most important thing is to get the Colossal Titan's power on our side," Armin said firmly.

_Not fond of the thirteen-year time limit?_ Ymir thought, glancing at Erwin's face. Then again, it was better than being dead. Thirteen years was better than nothing.

**There was a vibration in the air and Levi gasped. **

"What's going on?" Historia groaned. "Don't tell me he's transforming."

Petra shook her head. "No, I think it's the ground."

**The noise became louder, coming from the mist behind Levi. The Cart Titan came upon him, mouth wide open, and Levi dodged at once.**

"Ahhhhhhh!" Connie screamed. "That scared me!"

Ymir rolled her eyes. "Yeah, no shit. People in Mitras heard that."

**The Cart Titan ran off with Zeke.**

Eren swore and looked ready to throw something at the TV.

"Cheater!" Sasha accused, upset. "We won! He's ours!"

"This is bullshit!" Jean cursed angrily. "This is complete bullshit!"

"We were so close!" Frustration filled Historia's words.

"You've gotta be shitting me!" Levi snapped, slamming a fist on the couch's arm.

"All that sacrifice, for nothing," Petra said, heart squeezing painfully.

Hange's shoulders slumped beside her. _He decimated us and got away._

**Levi landed on the grass and watched as the Cart Titan got away, Zeke half hanging out of the mouth and coughing up some blood. "Hey, where are you going?" Levi took a couple of steps toward the fleeing Titan. "Stop…"**

It did feel a little like salt being rubbed in his wound. Though Erwin wasn't that broken up about it. If they were able to reach the basement because of his and his soldiers' sacrifice then it wasn't a waste. But Erwin knew Levi was going to beat himself up over this failure to carry out the last order he had given him.

**"All of you!" Zeke ordered the line of frozen Titans they passed by. "Go kill him!" **

**Four of them snapped their heads toward Levi immediately, glaring. **

"Oh no, Captain Levi!" Armin said worriedly.

"I'm sure he'll be fine," Mikasa said calmly. She was more infuriated with the Cart Titan stealing their victory than worried for Levi. She could only imagine how maddening it was for him. She knew it was going to eat away at Levi. It was how she'd feel, being trusted with a dangerous assignment that only she could do, only to fail in the end.

"That asshole Zeke's going to get away," Jean grumbled in irritation.

"Why isn't he chasing after them?!" Eren demanded. Why did all those people have to die if Zeke was just going to get away in the end? He knew that was just how life was. Things weren't fair. But it still pissed him off.

"The Cart Titan's speed is on par with, if not higher than, my Jaw Titan," Ymir explained. "He'll never catch them. He'll only tire himself."

**The four 15-meter Titans ran toward Levi as the Cart Titan ran away. **

**"It hurts!" Zeke said, grunting in pain. "You've done it now, Levi! It hurts! But your weapons have to be all used up." **

Hange shrugged. "He only needs one spare pair of blades."

_He's still underestimating Captain Levi after that one-sided fight? _Petra's opinion on his intelligence fell.

"Bet he's going to drop them like flies," Mikasa said knowingly. _He's going to want to take his frustration out on something._

**"With this, you'll all be wiped out! That might've been a close one, but victory is ours!" Zeke declared. **

Jean felt a phantom itch and clenched his hand. "I just wanna punch him in his stupid face."

"But we were SO _clo-hose_!"

"It's okay, Connie." Sasha patted his shoulder.

On his other side, Historia rubbed his arm. "There, there."

**"Wait." Levi stared with a still bloodied face. "I swore to him…" The Titans charged right at him. "…that I was going to kill you!" He discarded the blunted blades, replacing them with new ones. **

**Shooting out his hooks, Levi went for the first Titan, flipping behind it and taking it out. **

"Seriously," Jean said, "this really will never not be fun."

**Floch sat up in a daze as Levi, in the distance behind him, swung from Titan to Titan, blood flying out of their napes. **

They forgot their agitation, once more admiring Levi's skills.

"He is my favorite person ever," Connie declared.

"I'm so glad he's on our side," Armin said, shuddering at the thought of being on Levi's wrong side.

**"Why…am I alive?" Floch asked, sitting up, looking at his hands. "The others…" Slowly, he began to walk back toward the town. "Hey! Is anyone else alive?!"**

"Is he the only one who made it?" Mikasa asked.

"No way." Denial and shock hit Historia. "Everyone else can't be dead." That would mean only a dozen or so people were alive.

"It looks like it," Petra replied. "And he's not out of danger yet."

* * *

**The Colossal Titan continued for the inner gate of Wall Maria. **

**The Armored Titan also walked with deliberate steps in the same direction. **

Sasha groaned. "I forgot he's back again."

**"That bastard," Jean said, crouching on a roof. "To think he's seriously alive. Why won't he just stay dead? What the hell do we do against something like that?!" Jean said in frustration. **

"Kill it with Thunder Spears," Mikasa said bluntly. "Like a dozen of them."

"More like two dozen," Ymir advised. "This is Reiner."

"Bet he'd find some way to weasel out then, too," Connie grumbled.

**Mikasa was quiet behind Jean. At the peak of the roof, Armin stood, watching the Colossal Titan, who was close to them. **

**"Hey, Armin," Jean said, turning his attention to him. "I think having Eren escape is the best we can do."**

**"He's thinner," Armin stated quietly, not looking at them. **

**Jean and Mikasa stared at him, confused.**

Hange's mind took off at once. _Was I right in my theories?_ _The longer the Colossal Titan is around the weaker he gets? _He required a tremendous amount of energy to release so much steam, which sapped at his strength and stamina. _So a long-term battle would put him at a disadvantage._

Ymir gaped at the TV-Armin. "Is he saying they actually have a shot at taking out the Colossal Titan?"

"I think there might at least be a chance for us." Eren wasn't sure if Armin had a plan yet. Or if it would even work.

"But if anyone can figure it out, it's Armin." Mikasa had total faith in him.

**"The Colossal Titan has gotten a little skinnier." Armin faced them and spoke with certainty in his voice. "It's just like Hange said! The Colossal Titan is weak in a battle of attrition!" **

**The two of them gaped at him.**

**"Remember Eren's experiments!" As Armin spoke, Hange was shown taking notes in front of a steaming Rogue Titan. "He could only transform up to three times. If that's the case for a 15-meter Titan, a 60-meter one might be less efficient!" Next was a scene atop Wall Rose when Bertolt had stolen Ymir as Armin and some others watched. "And there's his steam attack, too! I bet it's consuming everything except his skeleton to produce that steam!" **

"Of course!" Petra smiled excitedly. "It has to come from somewhere!"

"Armin, you brilliant bastard," Hange praised, shooting him a grin.

"Thanks," he replied shyly.

"So if we can keep forcing him to use his steam," Erwin said, "it'll severely reduce his muscle mass. Will he still be able to support himself then? Or will his skeleton still be enough to keep his body upright after his losing so much muscle mass?"

Levi quickly cut in before they started a storm of theories. "This is fascinating and all but let's keep watching and see for ourselves."

**Jean stood and asked, "So what are you saying?" **

**"Armin…" Mikasa said in a hopeful voice. **

**"I have a plan. You all need to draw Reiner away. Eren and I will defeat Bertolt ourselves," Armin declared in determination. "The two of us can win and I'm going to prove it."**

**Mikasa smiled faintly. "Alright," she said calmly. "Leave Reiner to the rest of us." She stood and he smiled. **

**"Took you long enough, dummy," Jean said. "I really thought we were goners."**

Mikasa nodded, satisfied. "I knew you'd figure something out."

"You know what, I have no idea what I'm thinking," Armin said with a shrug. "I can't wait to see it, though."

Eren smiled confidentially. "It's going to be genius, I just know it. You're going to get us all home."

**Armin thought back to the words Eren had said when they were making their way through the forest earlier: _"I don't know why, but when it comes to taking back freedom…"_**

**Armin shot up the Wall, heading for Rogue. **

**_"…strength flows through me."_**

**Armin landed on Rogue's chest and deployed his hooks, anchoring himself._ If this plan goes well, I won't get to look at the ocean_. **

Their smiles faltered.

_What's he mean by that?_ Mikasa's stomach squirmed uncomfortably.

Unease crept up Eren's spine. "What're you planning, Armin?"

"I don't know." But he was starting to get an idea.

_Oh please, no_. Historia thought anxiously. _We've already lost three people. _She didn't want Armin to be the fourth.

Jean had a bad feeling in his gut. _He's got some foolish, suicidal plan in mind, I can feel it._ From their faces, he could tell Eren and Mikasa were too frightened to accept it even if the thought had occurred to them also.

**Armin added a blade to one sword, sheathing the other one. "For some reason," he said with a smile, holding the sword pointed down with trembling hands, "when I think of the outside world courage flows through me." He drove the blade straight down into the base of Rogue's neck. It pierced Eren's right shoulder. "Eren, wake up! Let's go look at the ocean!" **

**The Colossal Titan kept walking toward them. **

**On a farm, Historia, dressed in all white, stood with two armed men not far behind her. **

"There you are!" Ymir said in relief. It felt good to get confirmation she was alive and well.

"Where exactly are you?" Connie asked, eyeing the two men. _Is she under house arrest or something?_ They were carrying rifles and he assumed they were MPs.

"You're asking the wrong person," Historia answered, equally baffled. "If I'm healthy, why am I not in the battle?"

Sasha shrugged. "At least you're safe."

Erwin's eyes widened. _This lends even more credence to what I was thinking!_ Was it possible his ridiculous theory was actually right? He couldn't stop his mind from getting ahead. _If Historia truly has become Queen of the Walls it'll make things so much easier for us_.

**In a meeting room, Zackly sat at the head of the table, six other men present, including Pixis and Nile, all waiting. **

**Rico and other Garrison soldiers stood on Wall Rose, silent. **

Eren suddenly felt the pressure even though he was only watching the fight. "Everyone's counting on our victory."

"Based on the results of this battle," Jean said, "it could spell the end for us."

**In her room, Hitch sat by the window, face in hand. A slim vase with pretty blue flowers sat before her. **

"She's not sleeping in." Mikasa felt pity rise up for Hitch. "She's waiting for him."

"That somehow makes his death sadder," Hange said.

**"Eren, that sums up my plan." Armin was crouched on Rogue's shoulder, who was sitting up, almost done healing. "As long as we properly execute it and manage to trick Bertolt, this battle is ours for the taking." He held on to the Titan's hair and the two stared in determination. **

Eren and Mikasa started to relax.

Mikasa latched on to the fact Armin shared his plan with Eren, who seemed to be okay with it. _Maybe we were overthinking it._

_It'll be fine_. Eren tried to assure himself. _Nothing will happen to him_. Still, he wouldn't feel completely at ease until Bertolt was defeated and everyone was safe.

* * *

**"Listen up!" Jean said as he and the other three flew through the air. "We've gotta trust that Eren and Armin can handle Bertolt! We just need to keep Reiner away from them if we can! Let's keep him occupied from a safe distance!" **

**"Roger!" **

**The Armored Titan started running straight at them and they flew right for him, but he went right past them, ignoring them. They grunted at force caused by him running by. **

**"That bastard!" Jean looked annoyed. "He ignored us?! He's changing his focus to Eren?" **

**Mikasa narrowed her eyes and went after him. "We'll just have to kill him!"**

**"Mikasa!" **

"Don't just run off on your own!" Eren said, his anxiety for Armin's safety jumping to Mikasa.

"Pot calling the kettle black?" Mikasa shot back. "You do it all the time and leave us behind to worry." That made him flinch.

Armin fretted on Mikasa's left. "Just be careful!"

**Mikasa closed in on the Armored Titan, firing a Thunder Spear and blowing out the back of his left knee. **

They watched smugly, cheering for Mikasa.

"Why are Mikasa and Captain Levi so awesome?!" Sasha squealed.

"Must run in their family," Historia replied, grinning.

Levi couldn't quite deny the pride bubbling in his chest at those words.

**The Armored Titan reached for the houses to his right to steady himself but ended up falling eventually. **

**"Hey!" Jean called out to Mikasa, flying behind her. **

**"If we can't get Reiner's attention, we have to finish him off right here!" Mikasa tilted her head to look at him. "It's on us to protect Eren and Armin!" **

**"Yeah, I know." **

**"We've only got three Thunder Spears left!" Connie informed them. "Shit! But…" **

**"We've gotta try anyways! 'Cuz unless we fight, we can't win!" Sasha yelled as they came closer to the Armored Titan, who sat awkwardly, injured leg steaming. **

**_What was that? What got me? _The Armored Titan's leg twitched. _A single attack took out my knee… _Reiner recalled parting ways with Bertolt on Wall Maria._ I can't remember much since then… _**

"He did get his head blown off," Hange said. "Looks like it caused a bit of memory loss."

**In a flashback, Bertolt said to a headless Reiner. "I'm blowing this whole area away. If you can, lie down with your Titan body facing upwards."**

**_Bertolt, what the hell happened to me? _Inside his Titan, Reiner's face appeared, covered in red muscle, the skin not having been formed yet. **

Historia stared at Reiner's face. "I can't decide if I want to laugh or scream."

Ymir shrugged and said, "Why not both?"

**_I don't know what's going on and I don't have much strength left. _Reiner turned to look at the Colossal Titan approach where Rogue sat on Wall Maria, above the inner gate. _But I know Eren's over there. And as long as we capture Eren, that should still mean that we win. Isn't that right, Bertolt?_ **

**Still on the ground, the Armored Titan turned to look at Mikasa, who stood on a house in front of him. _I'll deal with these guys quickly and come running to back you up._**

"They should have kept firing." Historia sighed. "Now he knows what Thunder Spears can do and he's got time to recover."

"No," Hange said, "she destroyed his knee. That's going to take a while. But our advantage is gone now that he knows we have something that can cripple him."

"He'll have his guard up now." Petra nodded. "Hopefully, they can take him out before then."

* * *

**_Reiner must be facing the four who went that way._ The Colossal Titan tilted his head slightly. _Strange… Only Eren and those guys in the 104th survived the explosion? To be perfectly honest, I hoped to blow everyone up. But I've already gotten over my reservation about doing this, Armin_. **

**Bertolt's red muscled face stared at the two in front of him._ What's the point of waking Eren when he's all battered like that? Why don't you show me what your final struggles will look like?_ Armin and Rogue glared at him. **

**"I know it's a plan I thought up myself," Armin said softly. "But its success mostly depends on how long I can hold out for.**

Mikasa narrowed her eyes suspiciously._ Hold out for what? _

**Eren turned his head slightly to look at him. _Armin, are you really planning to… _**

And the anxious feeling crashing back.

Armin peeked at Eren and Mikasa. They seemed to have an inkling his plan might not end with him still breathing. _But it's the only way._ The Colossal Titan had to be stopped. _Eren has to survive_. And it would also seal up the inner gate. _Two birds, one stone_.

Armin could understand better now what TV-Erwin probably had to be feeling in the last episode. Though Armin wasn't as close to realizing his dream as the commander had been, they were still the closest to seeing the ocean they had ever been and he'd have to sacrifice everything now. _But I might survive yet_. Armin tried to be optimistic but he couldn't quite bring himself to believe it.

**"Eren, I'm sorry, but I can't die until I get to see the ocean. So I'm going to have to pull back once it gets life-threatening." **

"You'd better," Mikasa said.

Eren nodded. Internally, he wasn't too sure. _He's willing to go all the way if he has to_.

_I might have to hold on until the _very_ end_. Armin thought. And so he started to make his peace with what he'd have to do. The thought of it already made him ill. A stinging sensation filled his eyes. _Pull yourself together, _he told himself_._ Petra, Ymir, and Erwin had handled their demise like true soldiers, none of them had flinched or cried about it._ I won't either_. He refused to.

**"The rest is up to you. Y-You know," Armin said self-deprecatingly, "because I'm just not a hero."**

**_No, I know you are._ Eren thought, watching him. _I've known you long enough…_**

"How can you not think of yourself a hero after that time you saved our lives in the Battle of Trost?" Connie asked, shocked. "It was your plan to clear out the HQ of those Titans that allowed us to get gas so we could finally get over the Wall."

"Cause he's too modest," Ymir said.

"But you guys did the real work," Armin protested. "You took on the danger. I only made a plan."

"Commander Erwin comes up with plans and sends soldiers to carry them out," Jean pointed out.

"Well, he's different. And he just threw his life away and charged headfirst into danger in the last episode, even if it meant dying."

_Which I suspect is what you're planning on doing, too, Armin._ Levi was already resolving himself to watching another subordinate die.

**"You still believe in it, right, Eren?" Armin asked, beads of sweat on his face. "The promise we made to see the ocean together. And have I ever lied to you?" He nodded firmly. "So, no matter what happens, stick to the plan, okay?" Armin jumped down. **

**After a second, Rogue turned his attention to the approaching opponent with ground shaking footsteps. Rogue moved his foot. It slipped on the bricked layer and crumbled. Rogue began to fall. **

**_Shit_. Eren thought as he went down. **

Ymir cursed. "Of all the rotten luck!"

The sick feeling in Mikasa's stomach grew. _This has to be a part of the plan_. Or was it just wishful thinking on her part? _They have to make it out alive. They _have_ to_.

For some reason, Erwin couldn't really bring himself to believe Eren had really just "slipped." _Armin did mention tricking Bertolt_. Was this a part of a ruse?

Eren, meanwhile, beat himself up. "You idiot! How could I be so careless?!" He wanted to rip his hair out in frustration.

**Armin gasped while Bertolt startled. **

**Rogue tried to stop his descent and ended up crashing on his knees. **

**"Eren!" Armin screamed at the dust rising down below. **

Serval groans rang around the room.

"Please tell me this is part of the plan." Petra couldn't tell for sure._ I _hope_ it's just a ploy._ But they'd been let down too many times before to hold her breath.

"But Eren got kicked so hard," Historia said, face pale. "And into the Wall of all things."

Jean refused to believe Eren "fell" accidentally. _They're up to something, I'm sure of it._ He was too scared to voice it in fear it would somehow jinx the situation, and he'd be wrong and Armin or Eren would wind up dead.

**"It looks like I was right. This fight is already over," Bertolt said calmly. Rogue's body was crumpled on the ground. "It looks like he can't even stand up. That's enough." The Colossal Titan lifted his hand. "I'm putting an end to this!" **

**Armin screamed as the arm came at him, jumping out of the way at the last second. The Colossal Titan slid his hand on the top of the Wall, sending pieces of bricks showering down. Glaring furiously, Armin latched his hooks on the underside of the arm and swung himself on top of it before deploying the hooks again and flying right toward the Colossal Titan's face. **

**"Armin, you fought well all the way to the very end." Golden light flashed from the Colossal Titan's body, sending out an invisible force. **

Hange stared intently at the TV. _He's not going to make it. This is what he meant by holding out for as long as he could. _

"What the hell is he doing?" Sasha fretted, Connie equally distressed on her right.

"Armin, move!"

Levi didn't know what they were thinking but he wasn't sure Armin was going to walk away once it was done. _He's the closest thing we have to Erwin. Now we're losing him, too_. The boy still had a long way to go before getting near Erwin's level but he certainly had the potential, more than anyone, except maybe for Jean.

* * *

**"Eren! Armin!" Mikasa gritted her teeth and turned away. "No, I have to believe in them. We need to stay focused on Reiner." **

How badly Mikasa wished she could go to them. _But I have my own mission_. She couldn't leave Jean, Sasha, and Connie alone to deal with the Armored Titan by themselves. _Maybe Captain Levi will get to them in time_, she thought hopefully. His fight was done. Maybe he could help out Eren and Armin with Bertolt.

**_If there's one way to take Reiner out with three Thunder Spears, this is it_. Jean glared, thinking hard. _We have to finish it now, while he can't move_. Connie and Sasha stared hard at the Armored Titan, on his healing knee, between two houses. _One way or another, we're ending this now!_ **

**_Come at me._ Reiner challenged them, the Armored Titan looking up. **

**Jean moved first, running on the roof of the building behind the Armored Titan. "Reiner!" Screaming at the top of his lungs, Jean came at the Armored Titan with his sword. At the same time, Connie and Sasha moved in from the sides._ First, I go as the decoy. _**

_So that's why_. Ymir had wondered why he was giving away his position.

**The Armored Titan used his hand to destroy the roof, forcing Jean back. **

**_Connie and Sasha will follow with two Thunder Spears and aim for Reiner's jaw from both sides! _Jean thought as Connie and Sasha fired. **

**The debris from the roof caught Sasha, causing her to miss, while Connie's Thunder Spear hit true, exploding the left side of the Armored Titan's jaw. Connie quickly pulled himself toward the unconscious Sasha, who had blood covering her. **

Sasha let out a frustrated yell, gripping her hair. "Seriously?!" At once her mind jumped to how she had failed to kill her assigned Titan during the Battle of Trost and needed Mikasa to save, then attacking Reiner for the first time with Thunder Spears, leading to her and Connie crying._ And now this! Why is it always me?! Why can't I be a better soldier?_

"It's not your fault." Levi could tell she was beating herself up over it. "You had no control over the debris."

She knew he was right. But she still felt bitter.

**"Sasha!" Connie then yelled, "Jean!"**

**Mikasa landed on a building in front of the Titan, distraught. _One of them missed_.**

**_"If we blow off his jaw, Reiner's mouth should open up!"_ Jean's words rang through her head. _"Mikasa can use the last Thunder Spear to hit his nape through the mouth!" _**

"Brilliant, Jean-boy!" Connie clapped his hands. "What would we do without you?"

"Die probably," Ymir said.

**_His mouth didn't open._ Mikasa observed the gray cloud flowing from the left side of the Armored Titan's jaw. _Even so, I have to do it! _**

"If it's Mikasa, she can make it," Historia said with full confidence.

_We can only hope. _Hange thought. _It won't be easy._

* * *

**A massive amount of heat radiated from the Colossal Titan. In front of him, Armin hung on, wires of his gear shining, attached to the Colossal Titan. **

**_Why? Why can't I blow Armin away?_ Bertolt stared at Armin, his arms covering part of his face._ Why won't his anchor come loose? He shouldn't even be able to get close! _**

**Armin weakly opened an eye. _I knew it. His bones aren't being consumed! _The hooks of his gear were sunk into the teeth of the Colossal Titan. _The anchors stay put if they're not in muscle! But most importantly, he can't move his body while he's emitting steam! _**

Hange grinned. "Armin, our little boy wonder!" Her smile fell off when his words about hanging on came back to her again.

**_But, Armin, is this how you go out? _Bertolt wondered._ In all your wisdom, the best plan you could come up with was to get scorched to death like this? _**

The pride and joy began to leech from their faces.

"He can't stay there for that long," Petra said uneasily.

"You don't plan on dying there, do you?" Connie asked outright.

"That's exactly his plan," Jean responded, voice tight.

"No, no. I'm sure he'll get away before he gets permanent damage or..." Historia couldn't bring herself to finish the sentence.

"He'd better let go soon," Mikasa said, feeling her stomach fill with dread.

_He won't_, Eren thought sickly. _Not if it's what he needs for his plan to succeed_.

That Armin didn't say anything spoke volumes and they began to prepare for the worst.

**_I can't breathe…_ Armin thought._ I have to let go… No! Not yet! It's not enough! I've gotta buy more time! _**

Mikasa started to cry, hands covering her face.

It made Armin's heart lurch, bringing tears to his eyes more than seeing himself burn. He hugged her side. "I'm fine," he said weakly.

Eren started to break, too, hearing her wretched sobs mixing with Armin's burning body.

"No, Armin!" Sasha cried out. "No!"

"This isn't fair." Historia's voice shook.

_No one should have to die like this_. Ymir thought sadly.

Connie's face became ashen. "I don't want to watch a friend burn to death."

"Fuck, this just—" Emotion choked Jean and he couldn't say another word.

The four veterans all watched, stone-faced.

**_What's he trying to accomplish? A diversion? _Bertolt shifted his eyes down. Through the heat and steam, he saw Rogue's body still at the base of the Wall. _Eren still hasn't moved from where he fell_._ Mikasa and them have their hands full with Reiner. Did you really have no better ideas?_ He closed his eyes. _If this is really your final effort, then I understand. I'll put you to rest_. **

**The onslaught of red and orange heat continued. Armin cried out, cape flying off as he was pushed back, the wire extending. _Endure it! Don't let go!_ His hands sizzled, gripping his sword handles. **

Some of them hissed at the imagined pain, holding their own hands close.

**_I entrust it to Eren! My dreams. My life. Everything!_ Armin's torso was bare, his head bald, skin blackening. **

Jean looked ready to throw up.

Eren and Mikasa wept on, grief-stricken, while Armin tried to console them. It made their friends tear up.

_Don't look. Don't look at them_. Petra told herself, her heart already wavering listening to them. If she saw them cry she wouldn't be able to stop from crying herself.

Levi was regretting switching spots now, putting himself closer to the heartbroken teens. He'd rather put up with Hange's screeching._ Ugh, dammit_.

**_I have nothing left to lose!_ Black, dust-like pieces began to fly off Armin's body. _I'm sure… Eren will be able to reach the ocean! _The skin around his teeth began to pull back. Bluish-silver flames burned his hands, the handles of the sword went flying off._ He'll have to… _Finally, his body was sent back. _…see it for the both of us! _Pieces of his body continued to fall away.**

Somber silence fell into the room, broken only by the occasional sniff.

* * *

**"Mikasa!" Connie screamed, carrying Sasha in his arms. "Don't do it!"**

**"No, you did well!" Hange's voice came from behind. **

"Hange!" Historia gasped in relief.

It felt good to see a familiar face come back from the dead. They needed it after what they'd just seen.

"Oh thank the Goddesses!" Sasha's shoulders slumped. Someone would be able to fix her screwup. If Hange had a Thunder Spear, then maybe Mikasa wouldn't have to risk death to defeat the Armored Titan.

A wave of relief washed over Hange. Glad as she was to see herself still live, she hoped her TV-self was able to help them take Reiner down once in for all. _I don't care if I drop dead immediately after. Just let it be worth something_.

**Connie looked up to see Hange fly by, shooting off her Thunder Spear into the right side of Armored Titan's jaw.**

**Jean, Connie, and Mikasa gasped.**

"Yeeeeessss!" Sasha yelled.

Tension lined Armin's body. "Now's your chance!"

"Quickly!" Mikasa muttered under her breath to her TV-self.

**"Hange!" Mikasa said, Hange quickly moving away from the Armored Titan. **

**"Now, Mikasa!" Hange yelled, flying away. **

**The Armored Titan tried to swat Mikasa and she dodged expertly, spinning in the air and landing in his mouth.**

"That was beautiful maneuvering!" Petra praised.

"She never fails to impress," Ymir remarked.

**Reiner's eyes widened. _No way!_**

"Finally, die, Reiner!" Eren snarled, his feelings from Armin's death turning into anger aimed at the enemy available on the TV.

"End him, Mikasa!" Jean said viciously.

After seeing Armin burn to death, they needed this victory. Bertolt had killed their friend and now they wanted his best friend dead in retribution.

**"Reiner. Come on out!" Mikasa fired the Thunder Spear down the Armored Titan's throat and a yellow light began to glow. **

"Eat that, you cockroach!" Historia yelled, tears still in her eyes.

Connie nodded, wiping his face. "Kicking ass really is an Ackerman family thing."

**A large round explosion tore a hole into the back of the Armored Titan's neck, sending Reiner flying out, a hole in his belly, face still not healed yet. **

"He's beaten!" Jean cried out. It was only on TV. There was no death to truly mourn or victory to fully celebrate, but he couldn't help but feel lighter anyway.

"She got him!" Connie felt heartened. "She fucking got his ass!"

Eren and Mikasa were too stressed over Armin to let themselves be caught up in the cheering as their friends tried to lift their spirits.

"Take his head off her, right now," Sasha said urgently.

Ymir nodded. "We absolutely cannot trust Reiner to have the decency to die by himself."

* * *

**The heat was gone and only thick waves of steam remained around the Colossal Titan. "It's over," Bertolt said. "Now to deal with Eren and the horses." Something caught his eye as the steam cleared. **

**Rogue's hardened form sat at the base of the inner gate, blocking the hole. **

"It was a distraction!" Sasha exclaimed.

"Did Eren make it?!" Armin asked, heart pounding and hopeful.

"He'd better make his death count," Historia said fiercely.

**"This is…a shell made with hardening?" The sound of something cutting through the air caught Bertolt's attention. **

**Eren flew up behind the Colossal Titan, sword ready. "Gotcha!" The wire became taut and reeled him in. **

They were screaming at the top of their lungs once more.

"Go, Eren!"

"Kill him!"

"This is for Armin, you asshole!"

"Avenge him!"

**Blood exploded behind his neck and the Colossal Titan's expression changed, his body beginning to tilt forward. **

**Eren screamed, cutting through the flesh and yanking Bertolt out.**

At the same time, his friends screamed with him.

Eren felt a flash of vindication break through his sharp grief.

Mikasa wished she could have been there to give the Colossal Titan the same treatment Levi had given the Beast Titan. But she settled for watching Eren take him down.

Though dead, Armin could hold his head up now. It had cost him his life but his gambit had won them the Colossal Titan. _My sacrifice was worth something, _Armin thought gladly.

**_It was a trap! _Bertolt thought, stunned, missing the lower half of both his arms and legs. _Eren was faking his infirmity from the start._ A defeated look came over his face._ And Armin's stalling…was just to buy Eren enough time to make a replica hardened Titan! _**

**Mikasa and Hange snapped their heads around, hearing the sound and feeling the vibrations of the Colossal Titan slowly begin to fall. **

Eren had waited so long for this scene. But it was a bittersweet victory. He had finally taken down the Colossal Titan but it came at the cost of Armin's life.

**_They did it to make me think there weren't any enemies nearby._ Bertolt thought tiredly. _And I fell for it and lowered my guard._ **

**The Colossal Titan continued to fall, shaking the ground and causing dust to cover everything. **

It made them all emotional, seeing the Colossal Titan finally brought down.

"It's finally over," Jean breathed, startled. It had been so annoying to watch the Colossal Titan constantly kick down Wall Maria every time Candy did recaps. He'd become a symbol of their oppression and defeat, of death and destruction.

Five years and they had made it at last. Just knowing they could accomplish it, even if it wasn't real yet, gave them a massive boost of confidence.

They knew it wasn't over yet. Still, seeing all the enemy Titans get beaten filled them with joy. And they were heartened. Every sacrifice leading up to this moment was meaningful now. None of the soldiers who had bled and died for them to make it here had been in vain.

* * *

**The air was peaceful and quiet in Shinganshina. A large dark shape, the Colossal Titan's dying body, was sitting against the Wall. **

The joy and triumph they felt left them, replaced by solemnity and grave looks.

Silence filled the room again, clogged with loss.

**On a roof near the decaying Colossal Titan's corpse, Eren dragged an unconscious Bertolt by the back of his shirt. He thought back to what Armin had said. **

**_"Have I ever lied to you in my life?" _**

**"Dammit," Eren said quietly, markings around his eyes. "I always knew."**

* * *

**A young Armin was crying, sitting against a building, a small man-made river running a couple of yards in front of him. Three boys were walking a small distance away. **

**"Hey, why don't you ever fight back?" **

**Armin looked up, tears in his eyes. **

**Eren was peeking around the corner, face half hidden. "They pick on you cause you don't fight back. Are you fine with losing all the time?" **

**"I'm didn't lose."**

**"What?" Eren asked, poking his head out fully. **

**"Because I didn't run."**

"Dammit." Connie rubbed his eyes. "Makes me wanna cry again."

"Aw, Armin." Historia just wanted to give him a big hug.

Mikasa sniffed and wiped her teak-stained cheeks.

**Eren was silent for a second before walking to him. "What's your name?" **

**Little Armin looked up at him, surprised.**

* * *

**Armin lay on the roof, charred and blackened. His hair was gone and his lips had peeled back, exposing his teeth. **

Mikasa knew the image would chase her into her nightmares.

Eren forced himself to keep looking. _He made this sacrifice_. The least he could do was not look away. No matter how seeing his best friend's corpse depressed him.

Armin tried to keep a brave face, but it was hard not to feel queasy seeing your body burned to a crisp. It was horrifying but for some morbid reason, he couldn't pull his eyes away either.

**Quiet crackling sounds still came from Armin's body, smoke rising from it. **

It took a lot for Mikasa not to burst into tears again.

**Eren was on his knees before Armin, one hand still holding Bertolt. "I always knew," he said in a shaky voice, "you were more of a hero out of any of us."**

**The sounds of crackling and steam rising punctured the otherwise dead silent scene.**

* * *

The atmosphere was still downright sullen. Erwin was giving them a minute to gather themselves before they moved on to the next episode.

Sasha rolled her shoulders. "That was intense," she said. They'd felt so high when Levi beat Zeke, then cried mournfully at Armin being scorched, then become jubilant again at Mikasa taking down the Armored Titan with their help, finally becoming miserable coming back to Armin's carbonized body. Frankly, she was a little tired from the emotional ups-and-downs and was glad for the breather.

"I'm still hearing that horrible sound that came from his body." Jean shuddered as it filled his ears. It freaked him out. The sound reminded him of the funeral pyre Marco and the rest of their trainee friends had been laid to rest in. The connection only served to make him more despondent.

"That was the worst death we've seen." Historia pressed her hand to her heart. "Petra and Commander Erwin we only barely knew. And Ymir's fate wasn't shown." Even though they could deduce what had happened to her, her death felt kind of abstract since they only had their imaginations to rely on. "But Armin," she said softly, "he's been with us for years."

"I've been friends with him for three years." Connie couldn't help but feel unsettled. It wasn't the first time they hadn't lost friends. Marco, Thomas, Mina, and Nic had all perished in the Battle of Trost. Yet he still felt more disturbed than he ever had with them._ Somehow this feels different_. _Worse_. Why?_ Was it because he hadn't seen it coming? _Because Armin was sitting on the next couch? He didn't know. All he knew was that he felt like shit.

"One thing's for damn sure. I'll never look at Armin the same way again." Ymir knew he smart but she had not expected this level of bravery out of him. Her respect for him had shot up considerably. _But it still shouldn't have come to that_.

"Are you okay?" Armin rubbed Mikasa's shoulder. He always felt awful at the sight of her tears. He knew it wasn't his fault, and his TV-self was only trying to accomplish his mission and duty as a soldier, but he still felt guilty that she was hurting. Mikasa Ackerman was not easily brought to years. He hated thinking how much pain she had to be in. "I'm sorry."

Mikasa took a deep breath and calmed herself. "No, no. Don't be. I'm fine. That was hard to watch, but I'm okay now." It may have only been on TV but just thinking about it still gave her anxiety. _Stop crying._ Yet despite her resolve, remembering the pain and determination in his voice as his body was being seared so badly that they could hear his flesh being cooked brought a fresh wave of tears. But she didn't want to distress him and wiped her face quickly. "Really," she said, "I'm fine." She clutched his hand, not letting go. His unmarred flesh was warm and comforting. She squeezed it gently, half worrying it might crumble like ash between her fingers.

"We're good," Eren said strongly, "now that we know how you...go out." He couldn't bring himself to say "die" without feeling despair weighing him down. "We know what to avoid. It'll be easy for you to make it when we do the mission. Petra's still alive, and so is Squad Mike, so we know we can change your fate and you'll be safe." A chilling thought occurred to him: What if this was one of those staple moments his superiors insisted had to happen? _No, that's dumb. We won't be watching more of the future after this season_. There was no point in keeping key events the same so they could keep the future somewhat predictable, thus allowing them to make proper use of their future knowledge. And even if their superiors tried to keep it the same, well, he had two Titan powers and he would find out how to use them to his advantage. _But I'm sure it won't come to that_.

"How many soldiers do you think are left?" Hange asked. "By my estimate, there are eight soldiers still alive. All of Levi's squad, which is seven—if Sasha's alive. And Floch is eight. So far we haven't seen anyone else."

"We started out with, how many, one hundred?" Petra's dismay was clear as she spoke. "A ninety-two percent mortality. That's three times higher than usual."

"This is the mission to regain Wall Maria. Although I still never expected it would get this bad." Levi glanced at the commander. "And one of those casualties includes Erwin. Plus another person with high intellect who could have one day been a match for you, Erwin."

"Yes, we may have won this battle but at a very steep cost." Erwin crossed his arms. "Fortunately, it can all be easily resolved. We know all of their weaknesses and hidden tricks now. Zeke may have gotten away but Reiner and Bertolt we were still able to capture despite our TV versions going in blind. _We_ shouldn't have to face such horrific losses when we go out there ourselves."

Levi's expression immediately turned at the reminder of Zeke's escape. "That bastard won't get away this time."

"Hold on, I just realized something," Petra said, puzzled. "Why are there five episodes left still? The battle's already over. All the Pure Titans are gone. Zeke can't transform. Reiner got blown up. Bertolt was captured by Eren. Only the Cart Titan remains and she's not a fighter."

"That is peculiar," Erwin said. "Although it might be nice to see where things stand outside the battle. See what's going on inside the Walls."

"There are some unanswered questions about the oddities we've seen." Hange flipped through her notes. "I'm curious to see what the political landscape looks like. I wonder how the Royal Government will handle what we've discovered. Perhaps the remaining episodes are about our struggles to convince the people of the Walls about what we find in the Yeager family basement."

"Maybe," Levi said. "I was hoping we get to see Marley, but I guess it might be better to see what opposition we could be facing when we return. It'll be good to have a plan to get that squared away for when it's our turn before we shift our attention off the island."

_If I'm right,_ Erwin thought, tilting his head slightly to catch Historia's blonde head on the far left couch, _the Royal Government might not be an issue_. But there was no point in getting everyone's hopes up without solid proof. One thing was for sure if Historia was the queen, she was out of running for potential candidates he had in mind to be turned into Shifters. Erwin still wanted to keep it limited to the people in the room for now. Sasha and Connie were still viable options. Although they'd have to accept the Curse of Ymir. What would they choose, he wondered, if presented that the option? Having regeneration powers and becoming very difficult to kill for thirteen years. Or staying as fragile, regular humans who could die very easily but had an unknown amount of time left.

"There's no reason to keep the future somewhat on track this time," Erwin said, turning to a happier subject. "We can disrupt things as much as we want." If they could get their hands on a stash of the serum or the formula, they could add four new Shifters to their sides.

Hange gasped in delight. "That's right! Now we can make full use of our knowledge without holding back!"

Petra straightened in her spot. "Let's see what else the future has in store for us," she said enthusiastically.

"I think the brats are all good," Levi said, checking on the teens. "Start the next episode. I want to see what other things we can shake up completely."

* * *

_I think this is the longest chapter I've ever written_.

**_Please Review~ _**


	6. Midnight Sun

**Chapter 6: Midnight Sun**

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Shingeki no Kyojin

**Previously**: Erwin thinks Historia has become queen but wants solid proof first. The rookies think it would have been nice if Erwin had received the serum if he wasn't already dead.

* * *

**The Colossal Titan's blackened body steamed at the base of the inner gate. **

**Slowly, Eren shifted his dazed eyes to his best friend. The moisture had almost completely evaporated from the blackened body, the lips having pulled back. The flesh still sizzled. **

_Not real. It's not real. _Mikasa held on to that thought and took comfort in it. She would make sure this scenario didn't repeat. But that horrible cooking sound would forever survive in her head somewhere to torture her another day.

**"I should've known this would happen," Eren said sadly, closing his eyes, head bowed. Next to him, Bertolt lay unconscious and healing. "But I had no other choice but to rely on you, Armin." Tears gathered at the corners of his eyes. "Why don't you run away?" **

"Cause he's a big-balled, brave bastard," Connie said, making them laugh and hoot in agreement.

Armin ducked his head in embarrassment, feeling some pride.

**A loud noise came from behind Eren. Gasping, he looked back to see Zeke and the Cart Titan. **

**"A Titan?" **

"Can he transform again?" Petra really hoped not.

"Just run!" Historia said urgently.

"But take Bertolt with you!" Jean said at the same time.

_Or just take him out._ Levi thought. That would be faster.

**The Cart Titan began to hop from roof to roof. **

**"Shit!" Eren grabbed Bertolt and held his sword at the boy's neck as the Cart Titan landed on his roof. "You just try coming closer! Make one move to take him and he's dead!" Eren glared at Zeke. _What's that? He's got Titan marks around his eyes. Is he the Beast Titan?! _**

**Zeke's expression twisted. "Are you…Eren Yeager?" **

Ymir looked on curiously. _What's with that face he's making? _

_Is it my imagination, _Hange wondered, _or does Zeke seem..._ She didn't know how to put it. But it was not a look someone gave his enemies. _He seemed in shock at first, but then he looked longing and in pain_.

**_This is bad. _Eren dug his sword into Bertolt's neck_. I have to kill Bertolt—_**

**"You look nothing like your father."**

**"What?" **

_Eren does take almost completely after his mother._ Including, Armin thought, his tendency of being quick to anger.

**"Believe me, I know what you're going through. We're both victims of your father. You've been brainwashed by him," Zeke said and his face was replaced by Grisha's. **

"What the...huh?" Sasha said, confused. "Did he say brainwashed?"

_Brainwashed by Dad? _Eren felt clueless. _We're _both_ victims? _What was Zeke talking about? Eren couldn't see his father as abusive or imagine him brainwashing anyone. His father had been kind and patient and lenient.

"Daddy issues," Ymir said triumphantly. "He has daddy issues. Told you so."

"So we were right," Hange said, playing with her pen. "There is something there. His father is a sore point for him."

_Maybe Eren can play that up._ Erwin thought. _Build rapport with Zeke and maybe get him talking_. Zeke might let something slip then.

**"My dad?" **

**Something appeared on the Wall. **

**"What?" Zeke said, annoyed when he spotted it. "You're kidding me! He chased me all the way here?" **

**Titan skeletons were shown on the other side of the Wall. **

**Blood covering his face, steam flew off of Levi. **

"Well, that's terrifying," Ymir commented, not wanting to be on the reviewing end of that look.

Jean almost shuddered. "I'd run."

"He looks so cool, though. How does he always seem so badass?"

Historia chuckled and said, "Connie, you've definitely become Captain Levi's number one fan."

**Shifting forward, Levi began to slide down the Wall. **

**"Fine, Levi. My injuries force me to call it a draw."**

"What?! A _draw_? How dare you!" Connie said it like it offended him on a personal level. "The nerve of this guy!"

"What a sore loser," Sasha said, rolling her eyes.

"He literally needed to be rescued!"

"It's okay, Connie." Historia patted his shoulder. "We get it."

"He lost parts of all his limbs and had to be saved by the Cart Titan, and then he says _draw_," Connie muttered under his breath, scoffing.

"I wonder how long before Connie starts to wear a cravat," Hange said, and she and Petra giggled while Levi scowled.

"I don't need another copycat subordinate."

Petra's smile receded, replaced by sympathy. "I can't blame him for the hero-worship. Connie's got a personal vendetta against Zeke and you won't let Zeke escape so easily and want to gut him like a fish. Understandably he's overexcited."

**Zeke turned his attention to the two in front of him. "Bertolt, I'm sorry, but I think it's the end for you." The Cart Titan turned away. "Eren, someday, I'm coming back to rescue you!"**

_If Zeke truly sees Eren as his little brother... _Armin doubted whatever brotherly affectionate Zeke seemed to have for Eren would be strong enough to make him turn on Marley, but it could have its uses still. There was no guarantee if they fed Zeke to someone to get another Shifter on their side that he or she would inherit relevant information._ Maybe, before we kill him, Zeke might be more forthcoming to Eren if he feels a connection with him_.

**Eren gaped as the Cart Titan jumped from roof to roof, away from him. "He ran?" **

**Levi landed a few yards before him. **

**"Captain!" **

**Levi discarded his dulled blade. "That was the last of my gas. I'll chase him! Hand over your gas and blades!" He held out his hand. **

**"Right!" Eren began removing the canisters.**

**"Hurry!"**

Hange began thinking out loud. "If they're brothers and since one person can have more than one Titan power, then Eren should receive Zeke's memories much easier than anyone else. He's their war chief so he's bound to have a wealth of knowledge. That could give us a serious advantage if we have insider info."

"But then we'll still only have two people with Titan powers," Petra pointed out.

"Yeah, there's lies the flaw."

"We could maybe use this connection and see if we can get some answers out of Zeke before we feed him to one of our soldiers," Erwin proposed. "Worth consideration, I think."

**Armin let out a small cough.**

Mikasa gasped and grabbed Armin, holding her breath without realizing it.

"Did everyone hear that?!"

"Sweet Sina, is he still _alive_?"

"Maybe it's—"

"Everyone, shut up!" Eren yelled at them.

**Eren startled and checked over his shoulder, looking at the body. **

Mikasa let out a shuddering breath and Eren placed his hand on his forehead, shoulders slumping in relief.

Armin stared, mouth open, looking dumbfounded. _Am I...alive? _He couldn't explain it, it wasn't like it changed anything, but realizing his TV-version was still breathing was oddly relieving. It was also a little terrifying considering how badly he was burned.

"Your nerve endings might be too damaged for you to feel any pain," Hange said, trying to give him some comfort.

"That actually makes me feel better," Armin said to her. "Thanks."

* * *

**Almost a dozen trails of thick black smoke rose around Shinganshina. **

The rookies let out annoyed groans.

"I swear the TV always does this," Jean said with a huff. Anytime they got sucked into a scene, the TV would jump to another scene and make them wait to torture them.

**"Reiner." Hange was on one knee before the shirtless, armless, and bald Shifter. His face still hadn't formed fully and a white cloth was tied around his eyes. **

Historia scoffed. "Surprise, surprise, Reiner survives. Hey, that rhymed."

"That's practically his motto at this point," Eren grumbled, crossing his arms.

Ymir almost sounded admiring as she said, "He really is the biggest cockroach in the world."

"What does this make now, seven times since he's escaped death?" Sasha asked, holding up her fingers.

"Eight," Jean corrected, earning dismayed noises from them.

**"What's this metal case you had in your left chest pocket?" Hange held a small metal box. "Before we chopped off all your limbs, you tried to grab it with the strength you had left." She tapped the case. **

**Mikasa and Jean listened, Mikasa tying a splint behind Jean. **

**"Suicide pills? Or perhaps a bomb?" **

"Must be the letter I wrote for Historia," Ymir said, recalling it at once.

**Jean winced when Mikasa tied the cloth too tightly. "Ouch!" **

**"Sorry," she apologized quietly.**

**"A letter," Reiner rasped out. **

**"A letter? What kind of letter?" Hange asked. **

**"A letter from Ymir. You have to give it to Christa…"**

**Hange was silent at first before replying. "Only after we've inspected it." She stood, putting the case away. "Now then. I've got a mountain of questions for you, but…" Hange pulled out her sword, her intentions obvious. **

_Jumping to torture immediately? _Sasha was surprised Hange didn't try questioning Reiner at length first. Admittedly, she knew it was unlikely to work._ And they're under a time crunch and in hostile territory_ Still, something about how quickly and easily Hange was ready to get down to physically interrogating Reiner was disturbing. Sasha clenched her fists. _Or am I just letting my personal feelings get in the way again?_

Connie and Jean also appeared ill at ease.

_Maybe she's just posturing._ If so, Eren was quite convinced by her acting skills. Hange really seemed ready to methodically slice off pieces of Reiner until he gave her the answers she wanted.

**Jean sat, looking surprised, but Mikasa stood silent behind him. **

**"Your lips seem as tight as your armor is hard." Hange ran her fingers along the blade of her sword. "Are you going to cooperate and tell us everything that we want to know?" **

**"No."**

**"Thanks. I'm so glad you see things my way." She went forward and pressed the blade to Reiner's neck and he spat out blood. **

Hange felt disturbed by her on-screen version. When had she become this cruel? She understood that sometimes you had to be ruthless and she would do what was needed to be done. _But when did I become so casual about inflicting pain on another human being?_ Had experimenting on her beloved Titan pets desensitized her to such violent acts? Was she losing pieces of her humanity without even realizing it? The thought freaked her out.

**"Hold on!" Jean cried out, holding out his hand. "Are you sure? We might be able to steal his power." **

**Hange looked over at him, still holding the sword to Reiner's neck. **

"We could feed him to Armin!" Mikasa gushed excitedly.

_But Bertolt is closer,_ Petra thought. And Armin didn't look like he'd live for much longer. Why risk it by waiting to bring Reiner to him? And if they tried to move Armin even an inch, she was scared he'd crumble away.

"Nah, I think Bertolt would be better," Jean said. "The Colossal Titan is so big and powerful. Wouldn't it be better to have him on our side?"

"Would it, though?" Eren asked skeptically. "Reiner's got his armor and it would still be difficult to nail him with enough Thunder Spears to bring him down without the element of surprise on our side and the right conditions."

"Besides," Sasha spoke up, "maybe his Armored Titan has another special ability that protects him and helps him cockroach his way out of lethal situations."

"Good point," Historia said. "I'm with you there, Sasha. I'd take the Armored Titan over the Colossal Titan."

* * *

**"Today," Erwin said, "I would like to explain how we're going to get maximum value from this injection." **

**In the mess hall, the soldiers sat in their civilian clothes. **

**Flanked by other high-ranking Scouts, Erwin showed everyone the case with a small vial and an injection. "Using this medicine, the Colossal Titan's, the Armored Titan's, or the Beast Titan's powers can be stolen. As for how, the one injected with this will become a Titan, and eat someone who can change into a Titan like Eren can."**

**Eren, Mikasa, and Armin watched quietly. **

**"By doing so, although they would initially be a Titan lacking intelligence, they would revert into a human able to wield that Titan's powers."**

**At another table sat Jean, Sasha, and Connie. **

**"If this is achieved, not only do we gain information regarding Titan powers, we're also able to revive a person on the brink of death." **

Mikasa relaxed fully. _That confirms it_. They would be able to save Armin.

Erwin had been hoping for something more, maybe specifics on the Titan serum formula. But he doubted such a thing would be explored in a public setting like this. _Hopefully, in another scene, it'll give us the exact information and methods needed to create more Titan serum_.

**Marlowe, Sandra, and Floch listened quietly. **

**"If you capture an enemy with Titan powers, sever all their limbs. And when it is safe to do so, summon Captain Levi." Erwin handed the case to Levi. "We have only this one injection. I'm entrusting Captain Levi with the call to use it."**

* * *

**"I don't think all the conditions for that have been met," Hange said and Reiner spat blood again. "We don't know the situation with Levi and the other side. Neither do we have the time to go confirm it ourselves. Reason being, there's no way for us to gauge the full depth of their powers!" She pushed the blade deeper in. "Even if I cut his head off, we can't be too sure!" **

_That_, Levi thought, _is usually the kind of thing I'd say_. Hange loved her precious Titans but would cut them open and experiment on them because it was necessary for humanity to learn more about the giants. _But it always bothered her. But here she seems not all affected or hesitant_. Granted, Reiner was the enemy and she felt no attachment to him, he was still a person. She was a bit mad for Titans but she wasn't cold-blooded. He wondered what could have happened to make her turn like this.

**Mikasa appeared unaffected but Jean's gaze turned down. "This isn't like you, Hange. If we back down because of not knowing something, down the line can we ever hope to beat the Titans?"**

**"Jean…" Mikasa said after Reiner let out a choking sound. **

Eren shook his head. "Jean, he's a cockroach. Give him even a little wiggle room and he'll manage to get away."

"He's not wrong, though," Armin said. "They do need information and Reiner's got a wealth of it. And he's pretty much done. I don't think he can fight anymore."

"I bet Armin just jinxed it," Ymir said to her couchmates.

**"When are we ever going to know all there is about the enemy?" Jean asked Hange. **

**After a few seconds, Hange spoke. "Mikasa."**

**"Yes?" **

**"How much gas do you have?" **

**"It's almost entirely gone," Mikasa told her. "But it should be enough to reach Eren and Armin at least."**

"How can she know that?" Connie asked, raising his eyebrows.

"The Colossal Titan is steaming right in front of the inner gate on the other side," Petra answered. "She can probably guess they're in the vicinity of the steam, then see if her gear has enough gas to make it there."

"Gotcha. Thanks."

**"That's more than me," Hange said, not looking at them. "Mikasa, I need you to go check out their situation." **

**Jean was surprised by her words. **

**"Fill up your gas and bring back the injection from Levi. If for any reason you're unable to do so, fire a smoke signal. That will be my signal to end Reiner." Hange removed the sword from Reiner's neck and he seemed to breathe easier. **

**"Affirmative," Mikasa replied firmly. **

**Hange and Jean watched as she left. **

**"Hange, I—" **

**"The decision was mine. You were just a factor."**

**Jean became lost in his thoughts. _Why…am I still…hesitating over things like this?_**

Jean groaned and fell back against the couch. "I swear if he gets away because I wimped out and couldn't let him die..."

"You're a good person so of course you hesitated," Historia assured him. "And you were good friends with him, too. It's not easy when he's in human form, looking like the friend you knew."

"If it was easy for you, then it would be concerning," Petra added.

Hange shrugged. "Besides, I'm the one who made the final decision in the end, not you."

_But Is it really his first time holding someone's life in his hands? _Levi thought. Jean had said "over things like this." As if he'd been in a position before where he had to get his hands dirty and a person's life was at stake._ Hange's also harder_. Maybe he was just overthinking it. But something could have happened during the time they weren't shown between the end of the previous season and the starting of this mission.

* * *

**"Yes!" Eren's voice was heard. "Keep it up!" **

**Tears in her eyes, Mikasa touched her head, shock and grief on her face.**

**"Armin's breathing again!" Eren leaned over him. Armin continued to breathe weakly. "Come on! Just keep on breathing!" **

**Mikasa finally broke out of her stunned stupor. "Armin?" **

**"Captain! Hurry, give me the syringe!" **

**Levi was on his knee between Eren and Mikasa, still looking bloody. He reached into his jacket, searching for the injection. **

"Why is he so slow?" Mikasa felt agonized by Levi's leisurely pace. "Hurry it up!"

Jean nodded. "Armin could die at any second."

Strangely, all Armin could think about was how he was one of the shortest among the men and he'd end up getting the largest Titan.

**Eren stared at Levi, who wouldn't make eye contact with him. Eren pulled up Bertolt and wrapped an arm around his neck. "We have to make Armin into a Titan and we'll have him eat Bertolt! Please give it to me!" **

**Levi held up the box. "Yeah." **

**Suddenly remembering, Mikasa blinked away the tears and covered one ear, firing off a smoke round for Hange.**

* * *

**Jean saw the trail of red smoke. **

**Loud footsteps filled the air immediately. **

**"Hange!" Jean yelled when the Cart Titan ran up behind her. **

**Zeke, whose arms had healed and were now holding the reins, growled. Jean fired off his 3D gear and saved Hange, seconds before the Cart Titan chomped at thin air. **

Hange's heart almost stopped at how close she came to getting bit in half.

Jean slapped his face loudly, wanting to rip his hair out in frustration. _Why? Why did I let my emotions get the best of me? _There was no doubt Reiner was going to come back and be a pain in the ass another time. _Hange had the perfect chance and I had to ruin it_. How many soldiers was Reiner going to kill the next time he came back? _My decision might have caused countless lives on our side in the future._

"Should we count this as number nine?" Ymir asked. "You know, cause the red flare would mean there was no point in keeping Reiner alive."

"I don't know," Sasha replied. "We didn't actually attempt to kill him before he was taken away."

Historia threw up her hands. "To be honest, I say we just wash our hands of this keeping track of Reiner sidestepping death. We'll run out of patience before he runs out of lives."

Connie huffed and said, "Yeah, all it's doing is annoying the crap out of me and making me jealous."

**The two went skidding on the ground. Jean lay face down, unmoving. Hange crouched next to him and held up one sword protectively in front of her. "Not good!" Gasping, she noticed Reiner hanging from the Cart Titan's mouth. **

**The Cart Titan fled and Connie watched from a roof. "Reiner was taken, Hange!" **

**Jean opened his eyes suddenly. **

**"Shit!" Connie cursed and went after them. **

They cried out in alarm.

"You idiot, stay back!" Sasha shrieked at the TV.

**"Connie, don't give chase!" Hange yelled and he came to a stop. **

**Jean was on his hands and knees beside her. **

**"We hardly have any gas left. You'll just end up getting killed."**

**"Shit!" Jean screamed and slammed his fist on the ground. "It's my fault. I've done something that can't be undone." **

**Hange didn't face him and stated plainly, "I said the decision was mine. Let's regroup with the others."**

_But I still contributed to it._ Jean thought miserably. "If only I hadn't opened my big mouth," he grumbled.

Eren shrugged. "Just don't go making that mistake again."

"Trust me. I don't intend to."

"I hope you know I meant opening your big fat mouth, not taking pity on Reiner."

"Shut up, Eren."

* * *

**Slowly, Levi's hand was shown to be holding out the case with the Titan injection toward Eren's outstretched one. **

**Two hands clutching the handles of 3D gear suddenly slammed on the roof. It caught Levi's attention at once. **

Mikasa frowned. "Who's that? An enemy?"

Petra shook her head. "But he's the got 3D gear."

**With Erwin tied to his back, Floch hung from the edge of the roof. "Captain Levi…I finally found you. Commander Erwin is in critical condition!" Floch said desperately. "His abdomen was torn open and his organs are baldy damaged!" **

**Erwin was shown unconscious and haggard-looking. **

Almost every face began to twist in horror as they realized what was coming.

_Not like this_. Eren thought, feeling sick. He had been as excited as the rest of them in the previous episode, hoping Erwin would be saved by being turned into a Shifter. But they'd bought he was already dead so it was too late. _I don't want the commander to die...but Armin_. He would not allow Armin to die at any cost. _Even if that cost is Erwin Smith? _That question may have been easier to answer when he was still in the dark about the outside world. _But Armin can't die. He just...can't_. Eren clenched his hands into fists._ I won't let him_.

**"I couldn't stop the bleeding," Floch said to Levi. **

**Levi stared with wide eyes. **

**"But I thought that injection might be able to help. What do you think?"**

_Why?_ Mikasa thought mournfully. Why did it have to be the commander? Almost all of the soldiers in the Corps couldn't really match up to Armin in terms of value and worth to humanity. Only Eren, Erwin, and Levi could be considered more important. Why couldn't it have been the other way around and Erwin was carrying Floch? Why did the worst person among those involved in the suicide charge have to survive? She had nothing against the commander but there was no competition in her eyes. _Armin. Please save Armin_.

**Eren and Mikasa stared at Floch.**

**Armin continued to breathe weakly.**

**"What?" Eren's hand remained suspended in mid-air, the case inches from his fingertips. **

**Levi retracted his hand and held the case to his chest.**

An awkwardness fell over the room. Levi's actions came as no surprise but it was still an uncomfortable situation.

**"Captain?" Eren asked. **

**Levi helped lay Erwin on the roof. Floch and Eren crouched around the commander as well. Levi held a hand over Erwin's nose and mouth. "He's still breathing. He's alive." **

**Eren stared, not reacting. **

**Mikasa appeared stricken. **

**Levi stood and said decidedly, "I'm using the injection on Erwin."**

The awkwardness went up another level.

**Immediately, Eren shot to his feet. He glared furiously down at Levi. "You said you'd use it on Armin!"**

_Whoa, Eren looks kinda scary. _Sasha's eyes widened. _Can't believe he's trying to intimidate Captain Levi of all people_.

**"I'm choosing the person who can save humanity."**

**Floch let out a whimpering sound at the confrontation. **

"My sentiments exactly," Sasha said under his breath.

**Mikasa pulled out a sword. **

_Shit on a stick, is she actually going to attack him? _Connie thought about whose life was at stake. Of course Mikasa would attack her superior officer, even if it was Levi. _She's probably the one only who can fight him barehanded without getting immediately murdered_. He couldn't decide whose side to be on.

**Levi glanced back to see Mikasa looking desperate and a little out of her mind. **

Historia fretted, wringing her hands. _This is so not good_. Eren and Mikasa wouldn't let Armin die. But Levi wasn't going to back off either. _He's outnumbered._ Which wouldn't mean much for Levi, except one of his two potential opponents was Mikasa. Historia was half afraid of seeing how it was going to turn out.

* * *

**On top of the Wall, Reiner, missing parts of all four of his limbs, lay before the Cart Titan. **

**"Reiner," Zeke said to the unconscious boy. "I hope you know how lucky you are." **

If they weren't feeling so anxious about the showdown that was going to happen and the hard decision coming up, they might have complained about Reiner's luck as they were reminded of it once more.

As it were, they waited with bated breath to return to the roof with the difficult situation they were all too afraid to comment on.

* * *

**"Do you guys…have the faintest damn clue…what you're doing?" Levi asked them slowly. **

_This is ridiculous. He's their friend but do they really think he's—_ Petra stopped herself. Eren and Mikasa were emotional and impulsive. Considering how the three had survived and lived together and the circumstances leading up to this moment—with Armin coming up with a plan to successfully beat Bertolt and getting scorched alive in the process, giving up his dreams and entrusting them to Eren—she could understand how and why they weren't thinking straight_. This is going to get ugly._

**"It's Erwin, the Commander of the Survey Corps, and you want him to die without lifting a finger? There's no time for this. Stay out of my way." Levi started to moved but Eren clutched the case. "Eren, keep your emotions out of this."**

"Unlikely." Connie chuckled weakly. He couldn't bring himself to do more than mumble. "Eren's more emotional than a hormonal pregnant lady."

**"Keep my emotions out? Why did you hesitate to give me the syringe earlier?" Eren growled. **

_So I wasn't overthinking it._ Hange knew something felt off with how Levi had been taking his time searching for the serum.

**"I was thinking Erwin might still be alive," Levi said truthfully. **

**"There's no way you could have expected Floch to carry Erwin here in critical condition."**

**"You're right, but now that Erwin is here, I'm using it on him." **

**Eren tried to take the case but Levi smacked him away with the back of his fist.**

They winched at how Eren went flying to the side.

Jean rubbed his jaw. _That's gotta hurt like a bitch._

_He may have signed his death warrant with that._ Historia figured Levi was in a shitty enough position with Mikasa to deny Armin the serum but to smack Eren in front of her on top of that was crossing the line.

**Mikasa cried out in rage and jumped him, sending Levi on his back. **

"She's gonna knock him senseless," Ymir said.

Sasha nodded. "Bet he's too weak to fight her off."

**Levi gritted his teeth, struggling to keep Mikasa's sword away from his neck. **

**"Hey!" Floch yelled at her.**

If Mikasa could take out Levi, Hange knew Floch had no chance._ If he values his teeth he'll stay back_.

**Mikasa kept Levi's wrist with the case pinned down. _His strength isn't all there! _She glared furiously. _I can take it from him by force! _**

It was still an odd thought to Erwin that someone could beat up even a weakened Levi. _And with Armin's life on the line, she's definitely in the mindset to go through with it_.

_Is this really wise? _Jean hated to think it, but it seemed illogical to him. _They're not thinking straight_. They were too close to Armin and were throwing logic out the proverbial window. _We need the commander_. What were they going to do without Erwin at the helm to guide them? It was a frightening thought, especially considering what awaited them past the edge of their island. _But the commander's not perfect_. Jean recalled the infamously disastrous 57th Expedition.

**"You should know as well as I do!" Levi said to Mikasa. "Without Erwin's talent, humanity can't beat the Titans!"**

**"That's right, Mikasa!" Floch tried to reason with her. "Let's stop with this madness already!" **

**Mikasa sent him a withering look that made him gasp and lean back. **

They'd laugh if they weren't so anxious and leery to see how it would play out.

**Eren gasped, body partially off the roof.**

Armin shuddered, reminded of seeing Eren's body in that too uncomfortably familiar position. It was how he'd found Eren when the Titan had chomped his leg during the Battle for Trost, just before Eren had been swallowed whole trying to protect him.

**"It's no different if we lose Armin."**

**"Eren!" Mikasa yelled in worry. **

Connie hated to admit it but it wasn't the same as Eren was implying. If it came down to him and he had to decide between them... Guilt squirmed in his stomach but he knew he'd pick Erwin. It would eat him up to do so. _But it'll be far worse to lose the commander_. Then again, Armin could come up with great ideas, too. Maybe they needed his type of fresh plans. _The commander's a seasoned leader and Armin is still a teenager, though. _His mind kept flip-flopping. _Ahhhhh, I can't decide! _Connie thought, panicked, rubbing his head.

**"Hasn't it always been like that?" Eren's arms trembled, trying to push himself upright. "He's the reason why we saved Trost by plugging it with a rock." **

_That may be a point for Armin but it's nothing against Commander Erwin. _Petra was sure Erwin would have been able to put two and two together and realize that Eren's 15-meter Titan could carry a heavy boulder that humans would need time and tools to move. _The Warriors used their brains to time the invasion for when we were away on an expedition for a reason_. Reiner and his friends knew the Corps was the best when it came to dealing with Titans and Erwin stood at the top.

**"He revealed Annie's identity." **

_But Armin knew her. _Ymir didn't think he could have figured out the Female Titan's identity without his personal connection to Annie. _If it was someone else entirely, he maybe might have_. But she was almost certain Erwin would have figured it out before Armin if circumstances didn't weigh toward Armin._ Especially if it was someone Erwin knew but Armin didn't_.

**"It was Armin who came up with the idea of moving at night!" **

_We've had overnight expeditions before_. Levi's very first expedition outside the Walls had been an overnight one. _It's not exactly ingenious or completely new._ The idea had been thrown out before. But they hadn't been able to move as effectively at night since the torches didn't do as well as the glowing ore for lighting the way in the darkness. The light from the glowing ore was concentrated and easy to point, unlike flames. With the technology now available, it would have been obvious to move at night.

**"The only reason we uncovered Reiner's hiding spot and the only reason we defeated Bertolt was all because of Armin!" **

_That's the one thing he did figure out that no one else did_. Historia conceded, having had the same thoughts as the others with Eren's previous points. She knew of a few examples herself of how smart Armin was, having heard stories as they were from the same graduating class. Was her perception colored, though? Eren, Mikasa, and Armin were clearly like the main characters in a book. Even looking at the seating, the three and Jean were placed in the center, right across from the TV. _We're seeing things mainly from their side, their stories, not Commander Erwin's_. Or was it because they were more important and that was why the focus was on them? It was giving her a headache to think about.

**"The one who's gonna save humanity isn't me or the commander! It's Armin!" Eren screamed, some blood falling out of his mouth. "Right, Mikasa?!" **

Hange sighed internally. "They're biased toward their friend. They're only looking at things he's done and only see his smart actions, either ignorant or choosing to ignore Erwin's accomplishments."

**Mikasa slammed down Levi's wrist with the case when he tried to lift it. "Give it to me, please."**

**Levi clenched his jaw but couldn't move still. **

"We won't let you die so easily," Eren promised when he noticed Armin's downturned look.

"That's not—" Armin sighed, rubbing his forehead. "C'mon, you two, you can't seriously think I'm actually a better candidate than Commander Erwin."

"You've got so much potential and you've already accomplished a lot."

"Commander Erwin has accomplished a lot too. More than we probably even know. You're biased because we're friends and you were there and saw me come up with ideas. Anyway, Paradis doesn't have time for a novice like me. We need someone who's already experienced."

Mikasa crossed her arms. "They, our TV-selves, don't know about the truth. They don't know how bad it is out there. And you could still guide us through it."

"Even still," Armin insisted, "it's foolishness to gamble with all of humanity—I mean, the Walled people's lives." Didn't they see how terrifying it was for him? Being told to take the place of one of the greatest military commanders they'd ever had? _I'm only fifteen! _

"Just knock it off, you guys." Jean finally pitched in. "It's a pointless discussion."

**Floch stepped toward Levi and Mikasa. "The one who will save humanity is Commander Erwin."**

**"Shut up!" Mikasa snapped at him. **

**"I will not shut up. Don't think you're the only ones who had it tough!" Floch challenged her. "You might not know, but…" He pointed toward the Wall. "On the other side of that Wall, there's not a single living soldier."**

**The wrecked and almost flattened town on the other side of the Wall appeared. **

**Mikasa and Eren listened wordlessly. **

**"Everyone died when the Beast Titan threw boulders at us. I didn't think anyone could be saved. But Commander Erwin was the only exception. He thought of a plan for us to bite back at the Beast Titan and we did." Floch recalled how the last of the soldiers were wiped out by the Beast Titan. "We were smashed to bits just as planned." Traumatized, he remembered the soldiers' bodies being ripped into multiple pieces. "And I'm sure the last thing they felt was pure fear." **

**Marlowe, Floch, Sandra, and other recruits appeared on the screen, at the beginning of the suicidal charge, staring ahead with terrified faces. **

Mikasa felt sympathy for his obvious trauma. _We must look like selfish, bratty assholes who only want to save their own friend_. Floch had seen his friends get killed, had known it was going to happen before they even went charging in. But it had led to victory and now when he wanted to save the man responsible, their superior, while she and Eren were only worrying about their own friend. They weren't putting what Floch thought was all of humanity above their own selfish desires as he and his friends had done. _But it's not all greed_. She and Eren truly believed in Armin. He had proven himself countless times.

**Floch stumbled through the grassy area. He stopped before Erwin's face-down and bloodied body. _"When I found the commander alive, I was about to finish him off." _Floch pointed his sword straight down. **

Some of them gasped.

Erwin couldn't say he entirely blamed him.

**Levi's breathing shuddered and Eren and Mikasa continued staring at Floch. **

**"But that's going too easy on him," Floch said softly. "I thought to myself that he ought to taste more of this hell."**

**Levi's eyes went wide, impacted by his words. **

Levi kept wondering one thing. _Why the fuck am I not saying anything? _It wasn't like he was going anywhere with Mikasa keeping him in place. He had countless examples of Erwin's brilliant leadership, strategic mind, and political savviness. He could go on and on about them, having served under the man for six years. _Why am I not saying a goddamn thing? _He and Hange knew Erwin best. _And I'm right there_. Why was he leaving Erwin to be defended by some rookie that probably knew Erwin less than even Eren and Mikasa did? He could recount numerous times Erwin had come through for them while Floch couldn't. _Say something useful, you idiot,_ Levi glared at his TV-self.

**"And then I understood." Floch remembered how Levi had cut down the Titans to chase after the Cart Titan. He took a step toward Erwin's body. "The only one who can lay waste to the Titans is a devil! And if I can bring back the devil, that must be my mission in life! That has to be why I survived like a coward when everyone else died!" **

_Survivor's guilt._ Hange was quite familiar with it, having seen it manifest in many soldiers over the years. _He's trying to save Erwin's life so his survival would have had meaning._ Then he wouldn't have to feel bad about living while everyone else died in the same suicidal charge he was a part of. _He needs to do something, anything, big so that his life will have had meaning_.

**"So stay out of his way!" Floch lunged to take the injection and Mikasa readied to cut him down. **

"Well, he's dead," Sasha muttered.

"No, don't." Armin's heart fell. He didn't want Mikasa to resort to murder for him.

"I won't kill him," Mikasa said hesitantly. "I can just smack him aside like Captain Levi did to Eren."

**"Stop!" Levi reached up to stop her. **

**Hange grabbed Mikasa from behind, restraining her. **

Armin exhaled in relief.

Mikasa couldn't deny she felt glad too to be stopped. She still wanted Armin safe but without some innocent idiot possibly losing his life in the process.

**"Hange," Levi said, lifting his head. **

**Hange pulled Mikasa off, falling back. **

**Jean joined them, on one knee. Just behind him and to the side, Connie was on his knees, Sasha on his back. **

"At least you're alive," Historia said. She had been certain Sasha hadn't died back when they went to attack the Armored Titan and she had been hit with some debris, but it was good to see her still.

**"Hey," Jean said, voice strained. "You've got to be kidding me." **

**"No way…" Connie said, shocked as he eyed Armin, Bertolt, and Erwin. "I don't believe it." **

Connie groaned. _I miss that time a few minutes back when we had to choose between feeding Bertolt or Reiner to Armin._ This new decision between Erwin and Armin sucked rotten eggs.

Sasha was almost glad she was unconscious and didn't have to take part in or witness it._ I don't want Armin to die_. But the other option was letting Erwin die. It wasn't an easy pick. She wasn't comfortable with either one of them dying. She felt bad for being so indecisive. Shouldn't it be obvious? _But they're smart and have their own strengths and weaknesses._ It was too much, choosing one over the other, and she glad she would have nothing to do with this decision.

**Mikasa let out a pained gasp when Levi started getting the injection ready, his eyes shifting to Erwin. **

**Mikasa screamed in agony and began sobbing. **

It was strange to see her breakdown, especially for the rookies. She was one of the strongest and most reliable soldiers. To see her fall apart in misery was almost unsettling.

Eren and Armin were the most affected.

**"Mikasa!" Hange kept her in place. "You have to know how much we need Erwin! We can't let the flames of hope extinguish inside the Walls!" **

**"But Armin could do that, too!" Mikasa said as she cried. **

**"It's true, Armin is exceptional. But he doesn't have Erwin's experience and leadership!" **

"Oh for fuck's sake, just hurry it up and pick one already!" Ymir said impatiently, tapping her foot. "They're both at death's door. Especially Armin." At least Erwin had bandages keeping the hole in his abdomen closed. The external layer of Armin's skin was charred all over.

"You know what?" Jean said suddenly, groaning. "With our luck that's _exactly_ what'll happen. The two will bite the big one while everyone's busy bickering."

That immediately shot up their anxiety.

Eren badly wanted to point out it wouldn't have been a problem if Levi had just given Armin the damn serum immediately instead of taking his sweet time. But he was nervous they'd say that would have been a mistake. No one had jumped to defend Armin when the argument broke out on the TV. What if they all thought saving Erwin was the right call? _But they didn't jump on Commander Erwin's side, either_.

Everyone had remained silent on that particular topic.

Eren was afraid of poking the issue they'd all unconsciously and unanimously decided to keep quiet about. From their faces, he could tell only the veterans were convinced Erwin had to be saved. But the rest seemed conflicted.

**Mikasa wrapped her hand around one of Hange's wrists and began to squeeze. **

"I'm sorry," Mikasa apologized guiltily. Her TV-version wasn't thinking straight but it still made her feel bad for hurting Hange.

"Don't worry about it. It's...not an ideal situation."

**Hange snapped her arm back. "There are people I want to bring back, too," she said, voice tight, while Mikasa kept weeping and hiccuping. "Hundreds of them." **

**Mikasa quieted down. **

**"People I've known since I've joined the Corps." **

**A flashback was shown, Bertolt transforming in the sky, shining down an intense light. **

**"Hange!" Moblit shoved Hange. **

Hange felt her heart break and her eyes prickled with tears, blurring her vision. Something became stuck in her throat and it hurt. They were all gone. Her entire squad. She wasn't sure why Nifa and the others weren't shown but she had a feeling they had all perished, too. But it seemed impossible that Moblit was gone. He had stuck loyally by her side for years. His absence would leave a gaping hole and she pitied her TV version for it.

**As a massive sphere of the explosion appeared in Shinganshina, Hange was sent toward a well. She watched as a shockwave sent debris toward Moblit. One of the stray pieces caught her in her eye. **

**"But…" One eye closed and bloodied, Hange gaped at the destruction and fires before her, crouching at the rim of the well. "You know, don't you? No matter who it is, there comes a day to say farewell." Thick black smoke rose from the fires. **

_I won't let it come to that._ Eren vowed, jaw clenched. His best friend was not going to die until he was old and gray and wrinkly.

**"I might be managing it," Hange said, "but I still can't accept it. It's taking all I have just to keep sane. I know it's impossible, but you have to accept this. It's truly painful. I understand. But we have to keep moving forward."**

**Mikasa remembered her younger self, running with Eren and Armin. Closing her eyes, shoulders slumped, she accepted Hange's embrace. Her hand fell away from Hange's arm. **

Mikasa's lips trembled, tears shining in her eyes. _This stupid place..._ She'd cried more in this room within the past ten days or so than the past few years. _This is stupid. I refuse to cry anymore._ Armin was fine and safe and whole beside her. She would do as Armin had said many times to them and accept this horrible scene as a good thing. Now that they knew what could happen, they could avoid it easily. She nodded to herself. Instead of going crazy at the tragedy before her, she would focus on what she could control. _As long as I breathe, I'll do my best to keep him safe_.

**Levi prepared the injection and moved forward. **

**"Captain," Eren gasped out, grabbing Levi's boot. "Do you know…what the ocean is? No matter how far you look, it stretches past the horizon. It's a gigantic lake. Armin said—" **

**"Hey!" Floch tried to stop him, pinning his shoulders. "Cut it out!" **

**"He wanted to see the ocean beyond the Walls," Eren said pitifully, crying as Floch held him up. "But that was our dream since we were little, and I forgot it long ago!" Half his teeth, the ones from his left side which had caught Levi's fist, were missing. **

Historia winced. "How hard did he hit him?"

"What's he got against Eren's teeth?" Sasha wondered.

"Good thing they grow back or he'd never be able to open his mouth without making children cry," Ymir said lightly.

Connie could only give her a small smile, his heart heavy.

**"I wanted to avenge my mom by killing the Titans…" **

**Jean, Mikasa, and Hange were silent. **

**"Hatred was the only thing fueling me." Eren looked at Armin. "But he's not like that! Armin cares about more than just fighting! He has bigger dreams!" **

Petra could sympathize with what he was saying. But they were going to be quite disappointed when they learned the truth. _The world's not as clean, pure, and unexplored as they've always dreamed_. It was going to be a nasty shock.

**"All of you get out of here!" Levi yelled, injection in one hand and holding the back of Bertolt's shirt in the other. "I'm going to have Erwin eat Bertolt!" **

**Hange stood, hands still on Mikasa's shoulders. "Come on. Let's go, Mikasa."**

**"Shit. Shit," Jean whispered before he turned to leave. **

**Connie carried Sasha, still unconscious, on his back. "Armin," he said, tears falling out of his eyes. "See you." **

_Stupid TV just wants to make us cry again. Asshole_. Connie wiped his eyes. They'd already thought Armin dead and cried for him. Then they were given hope he might live only to have it ripped away.

Eren and Mikasa watched glumly and Armin tried to reassure him. "Everything's okay. We can change this. This time, there's nothing stopping us from completely flipping the script."

"That's about the only thing keeping us from falling apart," Eren told him.

**Carrying Eren on his right shoulder, Floch fired off his wires. Eren reached out to the roof as he was carried away. **

**"Let's start by seeing the ocean!" The night before the mission, Armin spoke excitedly to his friends, who sat on some steps in the street. **

**Levi sat against a wall, secretly listening in. **

**"You'll see! It does exist!" **

"Just hurry the fuck up," Ymir groaned. "Again, seriously, at the rate he's going they're both going to croak."

Sasha also groaned, remembering how badly they were both hurt. "You're right about that."

**Slowly, Levi dragged Bertolt toward one end of the roof. **

**"If this dream of yours comes true what will you do then?" Levi asked Erwin. **

**"I don't know. I won't know until it happens." **

**Before the suicide charge, Erwin sat on a crate. "I…I want to go to the basement."**

**_Good grief._ Levi thought, leaving Bertolt and going in the opposite direction. _They're all the same. Whining like brats one after another_. Pieces of ash fell around him. **

**Kenny lay bleeding against a tree, Levi standing before him. "Everyone had to be drunk on somethin' to keep pushing on." **

"Hey, who's that?" Connie couldn't recognize the bearded man.

"Kenny?" Levi gaped at his mentor, looking half-dead on the TV.

"What?" Hange said. "Do you know him?"

"He was my mentor." Levi was not sure how he felt about this. Even though over the years he had half expected Kenny to have died already, it was strange seeing his imposing and seemingly invincible mentor look like death warmed over. "But I don't remember this. I don't think this has happened yet."

"Which means it'll probably take place sometime in the near future," Petra guessed.

Levi's mind whirled. Kenny had practically disappeared without a trace and Levi hadn't heard anything about him for a very long time. _Guess that old goat is still kicking_. _Not for long, though, from the looks of it_. What had happened? How did they meet each other again? _But if there's a reunion coming, it'll be my chance to ask about the Ackerman family_. He was convinced they were related and part of the Ackerman family, same as Mikasa. It would explain why Kenny had taken him in. _We're blood_.

**Levi held the syringe to Erwin's bicep, sleeve rolled up. His uncle's words echoed in his head. _"Everyone was a slave to somethin.'" _**

**Armin's blackened body appeared. His words rang through Levi's head next, remembering his smiling and delighted face from the previous night._ "But there's more than that. The ocean…" _**

**Levi stared at him.**

_Please, please, please. _Mikasa begged silently. _Pick him_.

**Suddenly, Erwin slapped Levi's hand away. **

**A teacher wearing glasses in a classroom appeared for a quick flash. **

"Whoa, was that an older Commander?" Jean said in surprise.

"That was my father, actually," Erwin informed them.

**"Erwin?" Levi said, the commander's left hand lying raised up. **

**"Sir…" Erwin mumbled deliriously. "How do we know for sure there's not more humans outside the Walls?" His eyes were half-closed, lips dried, wounds on his face. **

_Looks like he was curious and extremely sharp even as a child._ Petra found it unsurprising. That thirst for knowledge had propelled him to the Corps, which was immensely lucky for the Walled people.

_He was the same as me._ Armin thought._ Always questioning things and wanting to know more and more, not just accepting what he was told at face value_. After receiving the book from his grandfather, Armin had focused in on the natural wonders of the outside world. He wondered if the commander would have also liked to see the ocean.

**Levi stared down at Erwin in shock.**

**_"Give up on your dream and die. Lead the recruits straight into hell."_**

**_"Everyone had to be drunk on somethin' to keep themselves going."_**

**"And I will take down the Beast Titan," Levi vowed to Erwin before the suicide charge. **

**Erwin smiled at him in acceptance. "Levi, thank you."**

**Armin's smiling face came to Levi again before remembering denying Armin the serum.**

**At last, Levi came to a decision.**

* * *

**Steam rose from Bertolt's half arms. Weakly, he opened his eyes. On his left, he noticed a blond-haired Titan reach for him. **

Sasha gaped stupidly. "Is that Armin?!"

"No way," Petra said in shock.

"He..." Hange trailed off, unable to even finish.

Mikasa couldn't tell if the reactions she was seeing around her were completely negative. Not unexpectedly, they all appeared at least unsure and definitely stunned.

Erwin couldn't help but feel disappointed. He had been looking forward to serving and protecting the loved ones of the soldiers who had sacrificed their lives for the cause. But he would be denied that chance now. If Levi really thought Armin was better suited, though, what could he do but trust in him? It was disheartening but he had to have his reasons. Maybe Levi had learned something during the gap the group wasn't shown—the time during which he assumed Historia became queen—and that may have influenced him to think Armin was better for humanity.

_Was that really the smart thing to do?_ Ymir's opinion on Armin had gone through the roof since they started watching the episodes. But still, she couldn't help but wonder if Levi had made the best decision. It was _Erwin_ Levi had let die. _Then again, Armin's pretty damn sharp_. Her mind started coming up with arguments and counterarguments. With an annoyed huff, she banished those thoughts altogether, knowing it would get nowhere.

**Bertolt struggled and cried as the Titan brought him closer to its mouth. A relieved smile came over his face when he noticed Connie, Eren, Mikasa, and Jean, staring at the scene in shock. **

Jean didn't know why but he felt slightly ill.

"He thinks we're going to save him," Mikasa said softly. "When he saw us, his first thought was probably that we're friends so he was saved. And he smiled."

**"Guys! Help me!" Bertolt screamed, voice wavering. He was brought closer to the Titan's mouth.**

"It's ironically fitting," Ymir muttered, feeling sadness overwhelm her for Bertolt.

Connie nodded solemnly. "Marco died the same. Screaming and looking at those he thought were his friends." Yet the three had done nothing but stand there and watch him die._ Now we're doing the same._

**Bertolt continued to scream and shake. "Annie! Reiner!" **

**The Titan placed Bertolt's head between its teeth and bit down, cutting off the boy's screaming. **

It was unsettling to listen to, even though they knew they'd never lift a finger to help him.

Petra couldn't help but feel bad for him. _Even if he may have deserved it, to die in a foreign land surrounded by enemies, all alone and abandoned by his friends..._ It was harsh and heartbreaking. She couldn't bring herself to enjoy it even a little, feeling only pity. _The poor boy._

**The four watched as Armin's Titan ate Bertolt. **

**"Captain…why did you?" Eren's voice was heard. **

**On another roof, Hange and Levi crouched by Erwin's body, Floch standing near Levi. **

**"Could I ask you to forgive him?" Levi asked. "He had no choice but to become a devil. It was us who wished for that. And in the end, when he had finally been set free from hell, we wanted to bring him back once more. But I think it's time to let him rest." **

**Ashes continued to fall gently around them.**

Erwin couldn't help but stare in disbelief at the TV._ I gave up my life and dreams so humanity might benefit from it_. He'd upheld his duty as a soldier and had expected Levi to do the same. Erwin had always been curious, ever since he was a child. Never satisfied unless he understood things and had answers. He'd had always been in the pursuit of knowledge. And it had led him to hell in the Corps. _And there's still so many answers and things left I have to do. _But Levi had apparently decided for him that he'd had enough.

It was mind-boggling to Erwin how Levi had arrived at such an assumption. Life beat down every single person at some point or another. _That didn't mean I'd given up on living completely_. If he had, he wouldn't have shared his plan with Levi, knowing Levi would tell him to do what was needed to be done. And so he'd given up everything, his life and his dreams, all for humanity. And when they'd achieved victory and everything he'd given himself up for was within reach, Levi had decided it was the end of the line for him.

"Levi," Hange said in disapproval.

"Fuck, I know," Levi said, upset with himself. "And there I was telling Eren not to get emotional. But I ended up acting foolishly myself."

"Eren and Mikasa had an excuse for disobeying orders, at least," Erwin said sternly. "They were still young and overcome by grief. And they seemed to genuinely think Armin was the better choice."

_They'll probably be jailed for some days for attacking a superior officer_. Petra thought. But she highly doubted their record being marred by insubordination was of any real concern to them.

"But you?" Erwin went on. "You're older and more experienced. You have no such excuse for your unprofessional behavior. If you had made this decision on the basis of what was in the best interest of humanity, that would have been fine. I trust your judgment. It's why I gave you the serum along with the fact you could protect it best. So if you had genuinely believed Armin to be the better option, that would have been completely acceptable to me. But you turned it into a personal matter instead. That's unacceptable of someone of your rank."

Levi's shoulders slumped slightly, failure weighing them down.

Hange forced out a laugh. "Oh c'mon, it hasn't happened, remember? Let's not get too caught up here."

"But he's right," Levi said, annoyance clear in his voice. "I was irrational and put the safety of the Walled people second to my own personal opinions. I didn't uphold my duty as a soldier." He would never forget it. Had he even given Armin any consideration? Of the burden he was shoving in his young shoulders of being their new Erwin? Had he considered what would happen to the Walled citizens, losing such an important figure?_ I dropped the ball big time on this one_. If he had to pick Armin, it should have been on Armin's merit, not his own belief that Erwin wanted to be done with it all.

_I suppose I shouldn't let it bother me too much_. Erwin thought. The whole point of watching these episodes was to know what was coming and learn from their mistakes. _And it was Armin who was saved_. He fully agreed with what his TV version had said some episodes ago. Armin was truly one of their greatest assets. Erwin wasn't sure Armin could handle what was coming, but he did have an extraordinary mind so he may surprise them all.

**Armin's Titan fell and began to steam. **

**"Erwin, I know I promised I'd kill the Beast Titan. But it's going to have to wait."**

_You have no idea,_ Jean thought_._

Realization suddenly struck Levi. _If I hadn't run off after Zeke and the Cart Titan, I could have found Erwin and made him into the Armored Titan_. It would have cut down his lifespan but that was better than nothing.

**Hange brought her head close and opened Erwin's eyes. "He's dead," she told Levi quietly. **

**Levi's eyes widened. "I see."**

They watched gloomily and felt pity wash over them for the soldiers on TV.

_They don't even know what a shitstorm they've got heading their way and they've got to weather it without the commander. _Historia did not envy their position. She made herself smile and think positively. _But on a brighter note, we're in a great spot! We know what's coming and how to avoid it!_

Armin gulped, imagining trying to fill Erwin's shoes. _Captain Levi didn't believe in me. He just thought Commander Erwin was done, not that I was smarter or anything_. It was disheartening. How was he supposed to be their main strategist?

"You can do it," Eren said, knowing what he was thinking. "Don't knock yourself down. You always come through for us."

"You've proven it time and time again. I believe in you, too," Mikasa said without a doubt. "Maybe Commander Erwin might have been a better option," she admitted. "But you're impressive, too. Don't underestimate yourself. You've much wisdom for your age. You might be young but that could give you a fresh perspective."

"Thanks," Armin said, feeling better. He still felt hesitant in Levi's decision but their words and faith in lightened his mood._ But I'm not almost dying out there for real and having this scenario repeat_.

**The four young soldiers went down to the decaying Titan. **

**Eren and Mikasa watched desperately, still crying, as Armin emerged from the Titan's nape. **

**Mikasa smiled faintly as they crowded around Armin's body, Titan marks around his eyes.**

* * *

"That was a straight-up uncomfortable episode," Sasha said when the episode finished.

"I'm so glad it's over," Connie agreed. It was difficult trying to pick between Erwin and Armin. Picking either one made him awkward and unsure. And it didn't help the two were right there in the room with them.

"I feel kinda guilty," Historia confessed, unable to keep it in. "I'm really happy Armin's alive. But on the other hand, I can't help but wonder if they didn't just shoot themselves in the foot."

"They were stuck between a rock and a hard place with this one," Ymir said and they nodded. "Thankfully, that won't happen with us so it's all good."

That cheered them up.

"It was a controversial decision but who knows, maybe they can make it work." Petra wished her tone had carried the optimism she tried to convey with her words. "I mean, Armin's not a terrible choice. He's extremely smart so things could work out."

"Then I should have picked him because of that," Levi said unhappily. "But I didn't. Instead, I made an idiotic gamble with everyone's lives and their futures based on someone else's heart."

"Don't take it so hard," Erwin said, realizing Levi had taken his criticism too much to heart. "I've messed up, too. I'm just happy it was Armin. If I had to pick someone to be saved over me, Armin would be one of the top candidates."

Erwin almost chuckled at the relief that passed over the boy's face when he heard him. As if he would be upset with Armin for being chosen over him. _I'm not that petty._

Internally, he sighed._ If only Armin had more time to grow. More experience. _Considering the scale of what they were facing, a novice was not who they needed. _But at least I'll have time this time around and I can teach him_._ Help nurture and grow that impressive mind of his. And perhaps Jean, too_. He had tremendous potential as well to take on more of a leadership role later down the road. Just in case one day something happened to him, those two could step up and help fill the void with more ease.

Erwin looked to his left. Hange was incredibly intelligent, one of their brightest minds. Levi, Petra, and Mikasa were three of their best fighters. Eren and Ymir, their greatest weapons. Historia he was all but convinced would become the highest authority in the land, the queen. _That leaves Connie and Sasha, who have no specialties_. Erwin considered making them the Colossal and Armored Titans respectively, if they accepted their lifespan being reduced down to thirteen years. If not, there was always Mike and Nanaba, his fallback options. _But we need to know how to get our hands on that Titan serum_. Ymir had said there were nine total Titan powers. _We have two Shifters and three Titans._ If they could get just two more, it would help even out the odds in terms of Titan powers.

"Maybe you should start the next episode," Hange said, pulling him out of his thoughts. "I think everyone just wants to move past this one."

"Right. Of course. I am curious to see what the remaining four episodes are about." Erwin raised his voice so they could all hear him. "If Marley is shown, be prepared to note every detail. Hange will be taking actual notes but a dozen pairs of eyes are better than one. You might notice something the others may have missed."

They perked up, realizing he wasn't bothered by his death. "Yes, sir!"

_Let's see what the next few episodes have in store for us._ Erwin thought, starting episode seven.

* * *

**Author's Note **

Hey, anyone have a Wattpad account to report something for me? Someone called yaboyassasin is posting my story there without my permission.

Actually, I'm suspecting it's not just my story this person has taken but also another person's. I'm going to PM that author right after this to give 'em a heads-up. I might be wrong about the other story (maybe they do have permission for that one) but mine for sure is being used without my say-so. Not sure why you wouldn't just start your own fresh one instead of pawing at other people's fanfics. Reactions are especially popular and everyone has their own unique perspective so I would think they'd realize people would enjoy different ones.

AO3: I'm _finally_ getting off my lazy ass and creating an AO3 account. About time, I know. I heard it takes a couple of weeks, though. So it probably won't be up soon. But I'll update my profile on FF when it's done.

Next Update: I'm sorry this chapter took this long. I got busy with work. The next couple of chapters should come faster, though.

Hope you liked this chapter. I tried not to lean too heavily on Armin's or Erwin's side. Eren, Mikasa, and the veterans I figured would pick sides while everyone else was conflicted.

Stay safe and good luck weathering the rest of 2020. Least we're 2/3 of the way done.

* * *

**_Please Review~ _**


	7. The Basement

**Chapter 7: The Basement **

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Shingeki no Kyojin

**Previously**: Erwin and Armin think Zeke's affection for Eren may be useful. Levi decides to ask Kenny about the Ackermans. Erwin thinks about taking Armin and Jean under his wing.

_I hate that feeling that I'm forgetting something. Happens every chapter, ugh. _

* * *

**Bertolt began to glow as he transformed, Mikasa and Armin fleeing. **

**Erwin and Levi watched in shock. **

**A massive spheral explosion erupted in Shinganshina. **

**"****Armin, get down!" Mikasa yelled, holding out a hand toward him.**

**The shockwave ripped apart the homes caught up in it before the entire screen began white. **

**The silence was interrupted by soft, shuddering breaths. "It hurts." Bertolt's voice echoed as a skull appeared, left half muscles and right half bone. "It hurts so bad," Bertolt said. Armin opened his eyes in a daze. Darkness surrounded him and he stared up at the half-muscle half-bone skeleton. **

**Its lone eye teared up and began to cry. **

"I don't recall anything like this happening to me," Eren said.

"Me neither." Ymir's own first experience of waking up as a Shifter had been seeing a vast night sky full of stars, no hallucinations of any kind. Although she couldn't remember what had happened afterward. She never saw the sun rise and suddenly, her next memory was of her walking in the middle of the afternoon, heading for the Walls. _I can't believe there's a desert on this island_. Armin was going to be thrilled to see it.

"Guess it's not something that happens to all Shifters," Hange said. Perhaps it was because Armin and Bertolt had a connection, they were friends. _Eren said he had a weird dream when he woke up in the refugee camp_.

**On the Wall, Armin muttered softly, "Bertolt." **

**"****It hurts," a female voice said. **

**The words snapped Armin out of his head and he looked over to the person lying on his left. **

**"****It hurts so bad," Sasha said, eyes closed, forehead bandaged with burns on her face. **

**"****Sasha? Sasha!" Armin lifted the blanket and saw the bloody bandage around her chest.  
"You're in terrible shape. What happened?" **

"I can't believe we've survived yet another crazy mission." Jean wondered for how much longer their luck would hold out. "Sooner or later, one or more of us is going to die."

"Let's hope our luck holds," Sasha said, fingers crossed.

"I'm offended none of you count my inevitable death as a loss," Ymir said in mock hurt.

They smiled sheepishly at her.

"Sorry," Armin said. "We keep forgetting. It just doesn't seem real cause we never saw it happen. Out of sight, out of mind." And it was easier not imagining it since they didn't want it to be true.

**"****Armin!" Eren was running over. **

**"****Eren?" **

**Eren hugged him. "I'm glad you're back!" He squeezed Armin, crying. **

_Only thirteen years_. Hange was not looking forward to breaking that piece of heartbreaking information to them. Ymir had been pushing them to share it quickly. She and Eren had limited time left and Ymir wanted him to live their remaining eight or so years to the fullest as she planned to.

**Armin only gaped, confused at Eren's actions. "What?" **

**The sound of 3D gear was heard before Levi came up from the side of the Wall. "You're up?" **

**"****Captain, what in the world happened here?" Armin asked as Levi came to stand before them. "I remember Bertolt becoming a Titan… What about the others?! Are they okay?!"**

**"****That's as far back as you remember?" Levi said, pulling out a flare gun. **

**"****What?" **

**"****Eren, tell him everything," Levi told a dejected Eren before firing a green flare. **

**Down in the city, Connie, Jean, Mikasa with Floch, and Hange took note of the green smoke at once.**

* * *

**The wind moved soft, ruffling their clothes. **

**Blue eyes wide as saucers, Armin was speechless, in shock. **

**"****Well? Did you follow it all, Armin?" Levi asked when the boy remained silent. **

**Mikasa sat beside Eren while Connie and Jean sat beside Sasha. Hange stood before them as Floch kept an eye out not far behind the group, holding up a spyglass. **

**"****Are you telling me the Survey Corps is the nine of us here and that's it?" Armin asked. **

**"****As far as we can tell, yeah," Jean replied, holding a water flask.**

_Nine_. Historia thought, sickened. "It's still so insane to think about. That only nine out of a hundred survived." A ninety-one perfect mortality rate. It was almost enough to make her glad she wasn't there. _Nah_, she thought a second later. _I still should have been there_.

"And they haven't made it back to safety yet," Jean reminded her. "They might encounter dangers on the way back."

_There's already so few of us even now in this changed timeline_. Erwin thought. Compared to the rest of the world's armies, their fewer than fifty thousand total soldiers was a dauntingly low number. And calling many of them "soldiers" was being generous. Most were lazy, fat, and undisciplined, no more combat-ready than the average civilian. If Paradis Island was to survive, they really had to play to their other strengths.

If his assumption was right and Historia would become queen, he'd advise her to shake up the military structure. _With Marley courting war, it's the worst time to be divided_. Paradis' military would need to reform to reflect their new enemy: humans. And every soldier, every single one, had to be put through some sort of short training exercise to ensure they were in good shape. _Not just physically but mentally too_. Only the MPs, and the Garrison soldiers that acted as the police, were used to seeing humans as enemies. Yet majority of those soldiers still weren't trained to kill people—only as a last resort but not as something they had to do actively do without hesitation, otherwise they or their fellow soldiers could lose their lives.

**"****The fighting ended four hours ago," Jean informed Armin. "We've been looking for survivors, but none yet."**

**Connie brought the water flask to Sasha's lips. **

**"****S-So, after we managed to seal the gates of Shiganshina, Reiner, the Beast Titan, and another Titan escaped. Bertolt was captured. Then there was a disagreement about using the injection on Commander Erwin or me," Armin summarized, Mikasa looked sad. "And I turned into a Titan and…ate B-Bertolt." **

**Eren watched him in worry. **

**Armin began to choke back vomit and cough. **

**Jean knelt and held out his water flask. "Here," he said.**

**Armin drank gratefully and breathed deeply. His eyes still held a distant and distressed look. "Why me? No matter how you look at it, wasn't Commander Erwin the right one to bring back? Captain, why did you give me the injection?!" **

Hange still believed Levi made the wrong choice. _But no point in crying over spilled milk. _They just had to pick themselves up and keep moving.

**"****Hmph," Levi grunted. He kicked Eren, who rubbed his back. **

"You should kick him back one of these days," Mikasa said without any bite, lips twitching in a smile.

"He'd rip my leg off and probably beat me senseless with it."

"Would be fun to watch his reaction still."

Eren scowled at her. "I'm not losing a leg for your entertainment. When you'd develop such a morbid and mean sense of humor?"

"It's been a crazy couple of weeks."

**"****I told you to tell him everything," Levi said. "The thing is, it seems your two friends here didn't think that way." Eren and Mikasa looked down. "They stood up to me, prepared to draw blood."**

**Armin turned to them. **

Eren and Mikasa felt embarrassed at the mention of their disobedience. They would have done so again and without hesitation. Still, they weren't particularly proud of it.

_Not our most shining moment_, Mikasa thought. Yet she couldn't regret it as it had saved Armin's life. It was just their misfortune that it came at the expense of the commander's.

**"****We'll accept our punishment," Eren said quietly. **

**"****While you'll be disciplined for insubordination," Hange said, crouching before them, "don't think that accepting punishment excuses your actions." **

**"****Of course not," Eren agreed. **

**"****Let's get one thing straight," Levi said. "Ultimately, I was the one who chose you. No, that's not it. For personal reasons, I chose for this to be Erwin's place of death." **

_Why would you say that?_ Petra wished he'd stopped at "I was the one who chose you." Was there really a need to clarify and decrease Armin's confidence instead of increasing it?

Levi wanted to hit his TV-version. It was bad enough he let Erwin die, he should have at least tried to instill confidence in Armin and ease the self-doubt he was clearly feeling. Instead, he was adding to it by telling the boy it was a personal decision rather than a professional or logical one. _That was the last thing he needed to hear_. Armin was probably going to face scrutiny for being picked and not Erwin. _As the person responsible for making the choice, I need to have Armin's back and raise him up, not knock him down_.

**In a house, Erwin's corpse was shown, his green cape covering his face and torso. A pot with white flowers sat on the small table by the beside. **

Historia was creeped out, imagining ninety-one corpses littering the streets. _And that's not even counting the civilians_. It had been hard enough clearing out Trost of the dead bodies after it was breached, but clearing out all of Wall Maria was going to take so much longer.

**"****I still don't understand. We can't let Commander Erwin die." At Armin's words, Eren and Mikasa shifted their eyes guiltily. "What are we supposed to do without the commander?" He clutched his water flask tightly. **

**"****I also thought Erwin was the right person to bring back," Hange said and the teens stared at her. "That's my honest opinion. But most of all, I wish we could have prevented things from turning out like this." **

_But we _can_ prevent it from turning out like this_, Sasha thought cheerily. Ymir, Squad Levi, Squad Mike, Connie's siblings, and many more had survived already. They could save Erwin and countless others too. Thinking about their successes always lifted her mood.

**Hange was silent before saying, "In the end, Erwin entrusted Levi with the decision to use it. And Levi ended up choosing you." **

**Armin was beyond stricken. **

Armin knew exactly how his TV-version felt._ I have to be a charismatic leader everyone can rally behind, a brilliant strategist with impressive results to show, and politically wily to outmaneuver the opposition! _He thought he had decent talent in one of those but he had no idea what to do with the other two. Out of all the commanders, Erwin lost the least soldiers with his Long-Range Formation that cut down the mortality rate by 30%. _Can I produce such impressive results?_ The commander was able to puzzle out they were infiltrated all on his own and predict their moves. And what about politics? _I know nothing of politics. But Commander Erwin crushed that noble who sent Captain Levi and his friends and halted the anti-Survey Corps organization's movement so effectively_. Armin had no idea how to navigate political minefields and eliminate his opponents before they became too troublesome.

_I'm not a leader. And definitely not one who can inspire soldiers to follow crazy plans and even to death_. That was Jean's thing. He thought fast on his feet and could effortlessly get people to follow him. _But Hange's gotta be the commander now_. Wasn't it on her to deal with the leadership and political aspect of Erwin's position? _Sure, pass it all on to her, you wimp_. Armin felt guilty and lazy for shoving it on Hange. _Commander Erwin didn't die so Hange could be saved_.

"Don't get in your own head, Armin," Eren warned, seeing the panic on Armin's face and realizing he was spiraling in his mind. Eren knew how his best friend could get, always focusing on his weaknesses and ignoring his strengths. "You've accomplished a lot in your young age already. You've much more to offer still. But you won't get far if you don't stop putting yourself down."

Armin knew while Mikasa was driven by emotion and Eren was reckless, his flaw wasn't lack of smarts but lack of self-confidence. "I know," he said. But just knowing it didn't automatically erase it.

"You have intelligence in spades but you need to believe in yourself more," Mikasa said firmly. "You're a fast learner too and you're very driven, so you can improve any shortcomings faster than any other person."

"They're right, you know," Jean piped in. "The only one holding you back from your full potential is you. I'm sure there will be issues with you being chosen over Commander Erwin, but I think you do have what it takes to prove to them that Captain Levi made the right decision."

Armin was grateful for Jean's words. Eren and Mikasa's support meant a lot to him. But Jean wasn't his childhood friend and tended to speak his mind without mincing words. It caused his words to leave a big impact in a way different than Mikasa and Eren. _No point in being so self-critical_. And since he had the chance this time, he would observe Erwin and learn as much as possible to slowly eliminate his weaknesses and better his strengths.

**"****There's nothing more to say," Hange continued. "Erwin's life and a Titan's power rest on your shoulders. No matter what anyone says, that's part of who you are now, Armin."**

**"****Does that mean I need to be Erwin's replacement?" Armin choked out, looking sick. Sweat covered his face. "I can't possibly do that!" **

**"****Don't get the wrong idea," Levi said. "You'll never be Erwin's replacement. But you do have a certain set of skills that no other human possesses. I have no intention of regretting my decision. However," Levi said, slapping his hands on Eren and Mikasa's heads, "don't make these guys regret it. Nor anyone else. And above all, don't regret it yourself. Those are my orders for you."**

_Finally, I said something sensible_. Levi thought. Armin had needed to hear that, especially with all the doubt he would likely face soon. Levi wondered how his own self would fare. _I could be looking at a court-martial._ Though due to his unique position they wouldn't be able to punish him too severely. At the very least the brass was probably going to verbally rip him a new one. But once the truth of the outside world was out, how would the population take to the news that he sentenced one of their best strategists to death? Especially in the wake of what the basement would surely reveal. Levi had a feeling they weren't going to take it well. No commander had been more regarded than Erwin since the days of Jorge Pikale.

Levi was more concerned about Armin than himself, though. He hoped no one was too hard on Armin for something he didn't have a choice in. He doubted most had the gall to question him to his face and might go after the less intimidating Armin instead. _I had better defend him,_ he thought with narrowed eyes.

**Armin stared at Levi without any words until pained noises from Sasha pulled his attention to her. **

**"****Shut up!" Sasha said in pain, eyes still closed.**

**They gaped at her, surprised. **

The group laughed at her interruption of such a serious discussion.

Petra chuckled. "They probably needed that."

**Hange began laughing quietly. "We're no match for Sasha. Well, as the successor to Erwin's title, I'm facing a lot of pressure, too. The two of us will just have to steel our resolve," she said to Armin. **

**"****Yes." **

**"****Alright." Hange stood. "If Armin's fine then it's time to press on." She moved away and stopped, facing them again. "Levi, Eren, Mikasa, and I will go investigate." **

"They are not ready for what's coming," Ymir said with pity in her voice.

Eren could already feel the disappointment, knowing what their TV versions would soon be going through. They'd feel that same horror and hopelessness they'd felt when Ymir told them about the ugliness of the outside world.

_After such a hard struggle_, Petra thought sadly, _what's supposed to be a sweet victory will quickly turn sour_. The basement was supposed to give the dead soldiers' sacrifice meaning. Reaching it and learning the truth would mean they hadn't died in vain. While that was going to be true, the answers they were hoping for would turn out to be cruel and disappointing.

**"****You other four keep watch from atop Shiganshina's Wall."**

**"****Got it!" Connie and Jean said to the new commander. **

**"****Eren, do you still have the key?" Hange asked. **

**"****Yes." Eren clutched the key around his neck. "Right here."**

"Okay, good. For a second there, I got worried he might have lost it in battle somewhere."

"That would've been a kick in the teeth."

"Yeah, but it would have figured with our luck. Even when we're victorious, the casualties or whatever other loss that happens is usually so bad that it gets hard to celebrate the win."

* * *

**In a flashback, Grisha pulled out the key. "Eren," his voice narrated as the stairs leading down to the basement appeared, "when I get back, I'll show you the basement that I've kept secret all this time."**

**"****Eren, no!" Carla stopped her young son, who sat on his knees before the top of the stars. "How many times must I say you can't go in the basement?!" **

_What I wouldn't give to get scolded by Mom again,_ Eren thought, smiling affectionately.

**"****Why aren't I allowed to?" Eren asked in a petulant tone. **

**"****Because your father keeps his work tools there." Carla started to walk away. "Including drugs. It's dangerous for children."**

**"****Hmph," Eren grunted and began to close the trapdoor. **

"Mom went down there plenty of times before," Eren said thoughtfully. "Wonder if she ever saw anything."

"Probably not." Mikasa shrugged. "Your father must have kept whatever he left in there hidden. Otherwise she'd have seen it."

* * *

**One by one, the four soldiers jumped off from the Wall. **

**"****Your intentions are the key," Erwin's voice narrated as the Colossal Titan's attack on Wall Maria was shown. "The key to saving humankind from this despair," he said, holding up the key, sitting outside Eren's cell. **

**Erwin addressed the new recruits. "We have reason to believe that the basement of Eren's home in Shiganshina houses a secret of the Titans that not even he is aware of." In the crowd, Connie and Sasha, Jean and Annie, and Armin and Mikasa were shown. "If we can just reach this basement, we may be able to obtain information that will help us break free from the Titans' century-long tyranny."**

"Out of the frying pan and into the fire," Petra summed it up nicely for them.

"We think it's going to help set us free when it's the complete opposite," Hange said, exhaling gloomily. "Feels like salt in the wounds." Countless lives had been lost for decades and it turned out it was basically pointless. The Titans were never the true enemies and had actually, in a way, kept the real enemies at bay.

The truth was daunting to think about. They had a whole world full of enemies that hated them and wanted to take them out. The only thing keeping them relatively calm was the TV and Eren's Founding Titan. They had a real fighting chance and planned to make the most of it.

**Green blanket wrapped around him, Armin stood atop the Wall, looking out before glancing at Connie, Jean, and Sasha. Floch stood to his right a few yards away. Armin turned back to Shinganshina. **

**Eren landed on the ground first, taking off running, followed by Mikasa. Hange and Levi ran after them. The four slowed and walked through the dilapidated neighborhood. A worn, dirty teddy bear lay on the ground. A broken sign outside a shop danced in the wind. **

**Levi and Hange looked around. **

**"****Hey, where's your house?" Levi asked. **

**"****R-Right," Eren said, leading them once more. **

**They walked through the street filled with debris and abandoned personal items of the former residents.**

**A young Eren and Mikasa ran through their healthy and lively neighborhood. Little Mikasa saw the fruit vendor with a baby on her back, advertising her apples. **

**Eren and Mikasa came to a stop, looking at an old basket. They kept moving, past a single bright white flower in the middle of the street. **

**Levi's reflection passed through the broken glass windows of a small building. **

**As they came to a broken white pillar with a marble circle around it, Eren blinked in recognition. There was a wooden crate with three broken stools around it. He recalled how Hannes and his buddies used to play cards and drink there.**

_It's not even my hometown but it feels so right._ Sasha thought. It was a little spooky, too.

They all felt that sense of homecoming.

_It doesn't feel happy._ Eren thought. The victory was theirs but it didn't inspire any triumphant feelings. Seeing the abandoned buildings and streets and personal items just made him sad at the loss. _We may have recovered the land but the lives are gone forever_. There was no getting those back.

**Eren and Mikasa moved forward as their young selves approached Hannes, who waved and pointed them at Carla as she walked around the corner. The children ran after her. Eren remembered rushing back to his house after the Colossal Titan had kicked down the outer gate. **

**The group of four turned the corner and walked down the street, arriving at last. **

**"****Is this it?" Hange asked the silent teens. **

**A pair of white birds flew off the massive, moss-covered boulder that had crushed the Yeager house. **

**They moved closer and Eren saw an old brown shoe in the grass. **

_Don't you fucking dare, TV_. Jean narrowed his eyes. Mercifully, the TV didn't show the clip of Eren's mother being killed. Jean had gotten real fed up of that shit long ago. He could only imagine how much more infuriating and painful it had to be for Eren, being forced to watch it again and again. _If it were me I'd have thrown something at the TV after the third or fourth time._

**"****Hey, Dad!" Eren stood by his father's chair. "When will you show me what's in the basement"**

**Grisha turned his attention away from the newspaper. "Who knows? Perhaps when you realize the most important thing of all." **

**Back in the present, Eren and Mikasa looked up. Eren thought back to his mother hanging white sheets on the clothesline.**

* * *

**Hange observed the wreckage around them. "Luckily," she said, "the fires didn't make it this far." **

**Nearby, Levi kicked something on the ground. **

**Kneeling, Eren and Mikasa picked through broken old dishes. He stared at the cup in his hand and she paused. They returned to their task. Eventually, he cleared the last of the small bits of rubble before he and Mikasa exchanged a nod. **

**"****Here," Eren said to Levi, who stood before them. "Under this are the stairs to the basement."**

**"****Good." **

**The four of them worked together to used two long wooden beams to move the boulder. After some struggle, the large rock rolled away. Eren dusted way the pebbles and grabbed the latch, lifting the trapdoor. **

"Don't be flooded. Don't be flooded."

"Shh!" Historia shushed Connie. "Don't jinx it by saying it."

**Concrete stairs plunged into darkness and Hange shone down her lantern, powered by the glowing ore. "That's a relief," she said. "It's not flooded with water." **

**Levi went in first. **

**Mikasa placed a hand on Eren's shoulder. "Let's go," she said and he nodded. **

**They followed after Levi, who also had a lantern in hand. He focused on the large padlock on the door at the base of the stairs. "Eren," Levi said. **

**Eren held up his key and said, "Right." He fiddled with the lock, trying to get the key to fit. **

**"****What's wrong?" Hange asked as he continued to struggle. **

**"****Eren?" Mikasa said in question. **

**"****Hurry it up," Levi said plainly. **

**"****This… This key doesn't go to this door." **

"I knew something would wrong with the key," Sasha grumbled.

Connie slapped his forehead. "Did he give him the wrong key?!"

"No, I'm certain that's the one," Mikasa said, having seen it around Grisha's neck many times.

Historia groaned. "How are they going to get in there now?"

"It's a door." Jean rolled his eyes. "Not one of the Wall gates. They can pick the lock."

**"****What?" Hange said, confused. **

**"****But…that's the key Dr. Yeager always carried," Mikasa said. **

**"****Move out of the way." Levi waved Eren off, stepping in his spot. "I'll open it."**

**"****Wait, hold up—" Hange started, Eren and Mikasa looking at Levi in surprise when he lifted his leg.**

**The door broke and twisted up where his foot had connected. **

Armin chuckled. "Or Captain Levi can do that."

Connie nodded wisely. "His foot is the universal key that opens all doors."

**"—****on a second," Hange finished while the duo gaped. **

**Levi removed the door and they went into the darkness. **

**A flame ignited. The small lantern was on the desk in the middle of the basement room. It illuminated cupboards, shelves, bookcases. **

**"****It almost feels like a study down here," Hange observed the room. **

**"****My dad was a doctor," Eren explained, seeing the glass jars full of medicine in a cabinet. "He was always cooped up down here mixing medicine."**

**"****I see." Hange picked up a small, brown glass bottle. "In fact, if this medicine is all labeled correctly, it's stuff that's widely available." She put it down and faced them while Levi flipped through a book. "And since all the books here relate to medicine, at first glance, it's just a doctor's study."**

**Levi put down the book and picked up two medicine bottles. "Well, if he was trying to hide anything from the Interior Police, we won't be able to find it with a cursory glance. 'There's nothing suspicious here.' It's like that's what he wants people to think." Levi set down the bottles. "Hey. Quit standing around, brats. Erwin's hunches are rarely wrong."**

**"****Yes, sir," Mikasa said before she and Eren began looking. **

**A black spider sat in a web in the corner. **

**Eren checked the books, trying to shake something loose that might have been hidden between the pages. **

"Maybe he wrote something in his language—the one found on the cans that Ymir could read—so if anyone found anything written left behind, they wouldn't be able to learn anything."

"But Eren wouldn't be able to read it, either."

"Oh, right. Whoops."

"Not to mention it would definitely get him in trouble with the Military Police if they found out."

**Mikasa opened the desk's drawer. She moved to its side and picked up the book, accidentally knocking down the cup beside it. It bounced off the floor. She recognized it, remembering something from years ago. **

**Books tucked under one arm, Grisha accepted a plate from Mikasa as he stood half descended in the basement. "Thanks, Mikasa. It's going to be another all-nighter."**

**Mikasa smiled fondly at the memory. **

Mikasa couldn't understand what Zeke had been talking about, accusing Grisha of brainwashing his son. Eren's father had always been so kind and good to her, a veritable stranger he brought home one day. How could he ever treat his sons, his own flesh and blood, horribly?

**Mikasa reached down to pick up the fallen cup and noticed something. "Eren," she said. Levi and Eren glanced at her. "There's a keyhole right here." She knelt before the key shape in the upper lefthand corner. **

**The four gathered around. "Eren," Hange said softly and he nodded. **

**"****It fits." Eren leaned in and slowly pulled the drawer out. "It's empty?!" **

"What the—" Sasha sputtered out.

"Fake bottom, calling it," Ymir declared. When she came to the Walls, before she joined the military, she used to survive on the streets as a thief. She knew a thing or two about these things.

**"****Look closer." Levi felt the sides of the seemingly empty drawer. "It's a false bottom." He lifted the fake cover and revealed three notebooks, cushioned with a white cloth. **

"Knew it."

They leaned forward eagerly.

Ymir had shared much information with them but most of it was sixty years old. Grisha would have more updated intel, thus giving them new things to learn.

**Hange sniffed the cloth as Levi inspected the green journal. "It smells like peppermint oil and charcoal," she said. "It must be to keep moisture and bugs away." **

**"****It seems we've found what we were looking for," Levi said, sitting the journal on the desk. **

**Eren placed his hand on it. "I wonder what it was my dad wanted to show me."**

**Mikasa placed her hand on the journal as well. Eren looked at her in surprise before they nodded. Together, they opened it. **

**An upside-down image of a photograph of a family was placed on the very first page.**

* * *

**"****Back then," Nile's voice narrated.**

"Oh, come on."

"The TV does this all the time on purpose."

"I've noticed that too."

**A young Erwin raised his hand and stood in his father's classroom, all the students watching him. "Erwin asked his father, 'How do we know there's not more humans outside the Walls?'" **

**Nile sat with some of the other military heads, including Pixis and Zackly. **

**"****The way he put it," the MP commander explained to them, "since we can't travel far outside the Walls ourselves, we have no way of knowing whether all the humans out there were really eaten by the Titans." **

Eren was fasciated. _He never blindly accepted that civilization didn't exist out the Walls even as a child_. The scene Nile was describing on the TV Eren was sure was the same one they'd just watched when Levi had tried to inject Erwin on the roof. _He's always been propelled by his thirst for knowledge_. As he lay dying with a large hole in his abdomen, had he been trying to remember what gave him purpose in life? What had kept him moving? So as he lay bleeding, he could keep fighting and _live?_ Despite facing so much pushback, the commander had kept the Corps going even as hundreds of soldiers died and the Royal Government actively tried to shut them down. Because no matter how much he felt burdened, Erwin understood one thing: The only way to move was forward. _He's like me_.

**Teenage Nile and Erwin sat outside, having lunch. "And yet," Erwin said, "history books declare the rest were wiped out."**

"It's weird seeing the commander so young and naive," Historia said. In her head, he was the epitome of a commanding, smart, and fearless leader.

"Young, yes," Jean said. "Naive, I doubt it."

**Nile stopped eating and finally focused on Erwin. "Hmm?"**

**"****If you consider that history books should maintain an objective viewpoint, it should read, 'It is believed the rest of humanity was wiped out.'" **

**"****You're just being pedantic," Nile rebuffed him dismissively. **

**"****No!" Erwin argued fiercely. "There's intent behind it! For example, to make us believe that humanity doesn't exist outside the Walls. As the publisher of the records, the Royal Government could have intentionally phased it that way."**

**"****You're overthinking it," Nile said with a smile, still not convinced. "Your whole argument is nitpicking."**

"No, it's literally common sense." Common sense, which Ymir had often thought, really wasn't all that common.

"It's so obvious when you think about it but no one does," Mikasa said, wondering how it had never occurred to her before. "People just accept everything at face value."

"Critical thinking is not something the Royal Government wants you doing," Armin said, thinking about how he would have been punished if the Military Police had caught him with his grandfather's book.

**Back in the meeting room, Nile looked down regretfully. "I was teasing him back then, but look at us now…" **

**"****You'll just have to apologize to the man himself," Zackly said, elbows on the table, hands folded in front of him. **

Connie eyed him sympathetically. "That's gonna suck when he finds out he was too late."

"And they've been friends since they were young," Historia said. It was going to feel like so much time wasted to make up for it, even if he only now became convinced Erwin was right all along.

"I'm surprised they're discussing it openly." Hange hadn't expected that. "They're a trusted group, so I suppose it's not that unbelievable."

Petra shrugged. "I think after everything they've gone through, it's not an outrageous possibility to think the commander was right." She turned to Erwin. "How long have you believed the Warriors came from outside the Walls, sir?"

"I'd be lying if I said I realized there was civilization outside the Walls before we started watching this. But after Eren's Titan powers came to light, it became something of a nagging suspicion."

_Zackly and Nile aren't the types to talk about treasonous things so openly._ Levi thought. Maybe with people who were lower ranking so their word wouldn't count for much against theirs, but not with this influential group. Something just seemed off to Levi.

**Pixis uncrossed his arms and sighed, looking outside the window behind Zackly. "Dawn is about to break." **

**The sky began to lighten outside. **

**"****Our heroes' triumphant return should be upon us soon." **

**In that moment, the door flew open and Anka barged in. "The Survey Corps has returned just a moment ago!" The men stared at her in anticipation. "They successfully took back Wall Maria!" **

**The population was cheering and hooting loudly, white confetti in the air. **

**An overjoyed Flegel stood among them. The streets were crowded with celebrating and happy people. **

Historia smiled at their joy. "Aww, look how happy they are." She shrugged. "Won't last long after they learn about Marley and everything."

"I think it's still something that we beat the odds and reclaimed our territory," Sasha said, trying to remain positive. They were going to need it to face what was coming.

"I hope the survivors spread the truth quickly. I don't trust the Royal Government not to try and silence us," Jean said pessimistically, having no faith in them.

**Up on Wall Rose, the wind ruffled their clothes as Levi, Eren, Mikasa, and Hange stood facing the crowd. Their expressions were hidden, their backs to the screen. **

_Jeez_, Ymir thought, _I know they can't see their faces from down there, but do they not realize the number of soldiers that came back isn't even in the double digits? _Or maybe they were also trying to applaud the sacrifices made that led to victory.

**Under Hange's right arm were the three journals.**

* * *

**"****Is this is a portrait?" Eren wondered, holding a photograph. **

Petra marveled at the crisp image. "I've seen some amazingly realistic drawings but nothing like that."

"That's new to me too," Ymir said in interest. "It was probably invented after my time, I guess."

"It would be a nice thing to have." Mikasa's voice had a wistful note. "You could have images of your friends and family and never worry about forgetting what they looked like." Sometimes she had a hard time conjuring her parents' faces.

**"****Let me see it." Hange studied the photo. Dina sat with a child Zeke in her lap, Grisha standing by her chair. The three were dressed in formal attire. "No. This is far too detailed for this to be drawn by a person." **

**"****That's Dr. Yeager's writing," Mikasa informed her, pointing at the back of the photo. **

**Hange flipped it and read. "'This is no illustration. Instead, this uses light reflected off a subject and burns the image on special paper. It's called a photograph."**

**Eren and Mikasa listened with wide eyes. **

"Fascinating!" Hange was in awe. "I wonder what special paper it is. Do we have it? Can we make it? Or the technology to make this machine? It would make recording things so much easier and better. No room for human error! And they last longer than drawings too." If Eren was fifteen then the photo had to be eighteen to twenty years old.

"You could capture all the places that were in your grandfather's book," Mikasa said to Armin. "One per place."

"Why stop at one?" Eren grinned. "We could get a dozen!"

"We'll be able to cherish them forever," Armin said happily.

Jean thought about other practical uses of a photograph. _You can get copies of secret files without it taking time to copy things down and without any errors, too, like Hange said._ They could map important geographical locations when planning to attack. From keeping the images of deceased loves from fading to maintaining fun memories to its uses in war, so many great uses came from one neat little invention. _I wonder what this machine that makes photographs like_.

**Slowly, Hange's voice was replaced by Grisha's. "I come from a place outside the Walls where humanity lives in elegance." The photograph came into focus again. "Humanity has not perished. I pray the person who finds this book is a fellow patriot."**

* * *

**Brown pavement filled the screen. **

**"****Hurry, Faye!" A boy's voice was heard. "We'll lose it unless we're fast!" **

**A pair of legs ran across the floor. "Wait up, brother!" **

**The boy and girl opened their house's front door. **

**"****Hold on, you two." Their mother came up and they turned to face her. **

"Is that your dad?" Armin was almost sure it was a young Grisha. _We get to see what's in the journals instead of just hearing them read it!_ It was something he loved about the TV. They were allowed to visually explore the world.

Eren was more excited about the girl. _They look alike_. Were they siblings? "I have an aunt?" Eren said, thrilled at the prospect. Did he have cousins too? Were they near his age or much younger? _I've always wanted a sibling_. Zeke's face popped up in his head. _Not that asshole._

**Mrs. Yeager slipped a yellow armband around her daughter's left arm, Grisha putting on his own. "I told you not to forget your armbands when you go outside." **

"It's like a dog collar," Jean said in disgust.

Levi had thought the same once.

**"****Grisha, you absolutely must not leave the walls."**

_That sounds awfully familiar. _Eren thought.

"It's the 50-foot concrete wall surrounding the internment zone," Ymir said, knowing they were probably imagining the 50-meter Walls out of habit.

**Faye ran out of her mother's grasp with an excited giggle. **

**"****Hey, wait!" Grisha called after her and went to stand beside her in the street. "I got it, Mom!"**

**Faye waved at her. "We'll be back soon!" **

Sasha wiggled happily in her seat. "We get to see the outside world!"

"It won't be pretty, I'm warning you now." Ymir didn't want to damper their fun, but she wasn't sure they could all stomach any abuse they might—_will_, she corrected herself—be shown.

**"****Come on!" Grisha led his sister away. **

**An airship drifted lazily in the blue sky full of puffy white clouds. **

Eren's eyes nearly bugled out of their sockets. "What... It's flying!" He was stunned, not expecting to see something like that.

"What _is_ that?" Jean gasped, amazed.

"Look at that big balloon!" Connie shouted in pure excitement.

"Connie, that's an airship, not a balloon," Ymir corrected, mentally thanking Marcel's convenient memory pop-up.

Levi was hit with a sudden sense of loss and sadness. His friends had died without seeing just how big and wonderful the world was. It was horrible, too, but there was also so much good to see. _A ship for air,_ he thought, feeling overwhelmed in a way only someone who had been born and raised below the ground could. Isabel and Farlan would have lost their minds.

"I want one!" Sasha cried out suddenly. "Oh, can we get one? And let's load it up with food!"

"It would make traveling far distances so much easier!" While Petra loved horses, long rides were no fun and often left you sore. How easy it would be, she thought, to stay connected with people when traveling long distances became so convenient.

Historia watched the airship in wonder. "It's so big but it's not falling out of the sky. How?"

The scientist in Hange was also dying to know how much a magnificent ship was created. Never in a hundred years could she have thought such a thing could exist. _Could we replicate it? That would be a dream! _She practically swooned as she thought of soaring through the air and seeing her beloved Titans below and observing them to her heart's content.

"It must have such a lovely view." Mikasa tried to imagine what it was like being up there. "It's like looking down from the Walls, but it travels so you can see so much more and go over rivers and hills."

While they continued on in their reverence of such a stunning example of human ingenuity and mechanical success, Erwin's thoughts were elsewhere. _I wonder how many they have of those and if there's any prepped for war_. Paradis did have a solid defense in terms of ground warfare, but nothing when it came to aerial attacks. While the Walls were great for keeping Titans and troops out, they were useless if the enemy came from the sky.

_We'll need a welcome party for these "airships."_ Would canons work well against them? Or was it difficult to aim them at such a high angle? Regrettably, he didn't know as much about them. The Garrison soldiers were the experts in that area._ Connie called it a balloon, so maybe we need to pop it like one,_ he thought in amusement. What were those ancient weapons called? Erwin remembered seeing drawings of them in some history books. _Ah yes, the ballista_.

Ultra hard steel had replaced iron bamboo as the material used in forging their Titan-killing blades, but the iron bamboo was still highly effective. _If it can pierce Titan skin, which is impervious to other metals, then it can tear up those airships if fired at high velocity._ Much of the iron bamboo trees were still harvested for other parts of the 3D gear, though. So while the grove was a lot healthier and thicker than it had been in decades, their supply wasn't endless.

Another thought came to him. _Wait, the blades_. Once they dulled they were useless against Titans. The soldiers simply discarded them and used fresh ones, forgetting the blunted ones completely. Suddenly it seemed like an unbearable waste to Erwin, simply leaving the used abandoned in Titan territory after they became useless against the giants. _Could they be reused someway?_ Then they wouldn't be using more of the iron bamboo trees in the grove, just recycling what was already harvested. Erwin made up his mind to visit the Industrial City as soon as possible. Any old factory city nearby wouldn't do. It had to be the birthplace of the 3D Maneuver Gear. The metallurgists and craftsmen in the Industrial City were some of the greatest minds behind the Walls._ If anyone can figure out a way to recycle the used blades, it's them_. He had some contacts there whom he could have looking into his query without any questions.

Armin also thought about how the airships could be used in war against them. _What if they drop bombs on us?_ The resulting loss of life and land would be devastating. Perhaps they'd need designated safe zone that went underground. _Like the tunnel we tried to lure Annie into, only deeper._ Did more exist around the Walls? He knew they did in Sina as the Underground City lay beneath it. _If Eren can control Pure Titan, we can get them to dig a network of tunnels._ Titans could keep going night and day without tiring out. Though Armin wasn't sure how Eren would have to manage them. Did he have to stay awake or could he give the order and they'd follow until they were ordered to stop?

_We can run drills so when the attack comes from above, people will know what to do and where to run_. The tunnels would have to be stocked with food, water, blankets, medicine, and other supplies. And they had to be cycled regularly so they weren't stale or ineffective when the time came to use them.

Maybe they could even create random dead ends and traps in case the enemy found the tunnels. Or maybe the dead ends could have a secret hidden door and only— _Now you're _really_ getting ahead of yourself, _Armin thought_. There's so many answers we need before I should be thinking about hidden entrances in tunnels that don't exist._ Armin decided to run his ideas by Erwin and Hange later so they could brainstorm further. It was a serious matter but he couldn't help but feel excited about having a brainstorming section.

**People continued on with their lives as homes and alleys were shown. **

"I would never be able to tell this wasn't inside the Walls if I didn't already know it," Petra said, surprised how similar it all was.

"It's different in other countries. The architecture and clothes are a reflection of geography and climate patterns." Ymir felt embarrassed at the awed stares directed at her. "I mean, everyone there knows that. No need to look so impressed with me."

They opened their mouths, probably to fire away a dozen questions about other cultures and clothes and languages—and food, from Sasha and Connie.

But Ymir spoke before they could. "Let's keep watching and not get distracted. There's time for your questions later—not that I'm promising any answers, by the way." She was a street urchin before being kept as an ignorant figure to worship.

**_"_****_When I first thought as to how I should start my story," _****Grisha's voice said, ****_"I immediately thought of that day."_**

**Twin looks of childish delight on their faces, Grisha and Faye chased after the airship. **

**"****Wow!" Faye said, smiling widely. **

**Grisha bumped into a man and he cried out, "Hey!"**

**"****Sorry!" Grisha said, waving in apology. **

**"****Grisha, be careful!" The man chided after them. "Watch where you're going!" **

**"****Oh, it's leaving." Faye stopped, watching as the airship left. She smiled adorably up at the sky. "Must be nice. Someday if I'm rich, will I be able to ride on an airship, too?" Faye asked innocently. **

**"****What are you talking about? There's no way either of us will get rich."**

"She's so cute." Connie just wanted to pinch her cheeks. "She reminds me of my little sister."

They smiled at the reminder of the changed fates of Connie's siblings. His parents had to be sacrificed but he'd been able to save his younger brother and sister, among others from his village.

They got even more excited thinking they could completely shake things up now, with no more future episodes they had to be concerned about.

_Thanks to the TV we can completely turn the tide of this war,_ Armin thought, optimistic and hopeful about the future.

**Faye hummed in agreement. "But it must be nice. I wonder what we could see from up there." The airship went out of view as the two stood a short distance from a fence gate surrounded by a concrete wall. "There it goes." **

**Two guards with rifles stood at the gate, one inspecting a woman's papers. **

**Grisha pulled his eyes away from his sister's longing face. His brows furrowed in determination. He grabbed Faye's hand and ran. "Let's go, Faye!"**

**"****What?"**

**"****My teacher said the airships take off and land at a place near here! Let's go see!" **

**"****What?! But Mom said we're not allowed to leave the walls!" Faye said nervously, running as he led her. **

Sasha made a face. "Ugh, I'm getting a queasy feeling."

"This won't end well," Connie agreed, feeling the same.

**"****Don't worry, it's just for a little bit!" Grisha assured Faye and they ran past the guard and the woman. "We'll be right back," he yelled at the guard. **

**"****Hey!" The guard failed to grab him. "Get back here!" He chased after them. **

**_"_****_That naive day of my youth when I had to face the truth of this world."_**

"That's ominous." Not that Ymir expected anything else. In fact, she'd have been more shocked if Grisha said their day turned out to be all sunshine and rainbows.

"Something's gonna go wrong." Jean just knew it was going to piss him off. _Why does something always have to go wrong?_

"Nothing bad had better happen to my aunt," Eren said, already fond of her. But he was almost convinced his family was cursed so she'd probably end up in a crap situation. His mother was eaten alive, he killed his father, his brother was a huge asshole, his stepmother got turned into a mindless Titan before being torn to pieces. What chances did his poor aunt have, really? But he still tried to hold out hope.

Mikasa knew Eren was getting fed up with everything that kept happening to his family. Even the ones he considered family, like Hannes and Armin's grandfather, weren't spared from a gruesome fate._ I should keep an eye on him_. Eren might throw something at the TV in rage if Faye ended up becoming another victim to the "Yeager family curse" as he had taken to calling it.

"I want to be hopeful everything will be okay but the TV has beaten that bad habit out of me," Historia said, wary at what was coming.

"That's probably wise," Armin said with a nod. _Eren's going to lose it,_ he thought. He just had a feeling.

"Well, I suppose there's no point in stewing about what will happen. Might as well dive in." Erwin reached for the remote, getting ready to start the next episode. _Maybe we can take a short break after the next one_.

Petra sighed longingly, staring off into space. "For once I'd like some truth or secret or whatever that gets revealed to be a bunch of puppies." Was that too much to ask, she wondered.

"I doubt we'd get that lucky." A dopey smile came over Hange's face. "But if we do, instead of puppies I'd like some cute baby Titans!"

Levi made a revolted face. "Four-Eyes, only you would find such a disturbing and disgusting sight cute."

* * *

**Next Update**: 10/25

**_Please Review~ _**


	8. That Day

**Chapter 8: That Day **

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Shingeki no Kyojin

**Previously**: Eren thinks he and Erwin are alike. They talk about the various uses of photographs. Eren becomes fond of his aunt. Erwin and Armin brainstorm potential ways to deal with airships.

* * *

**The sun shone down on a beautiful city with cobblestone streets. Well-dressed civilians walked and talked in the streets as they went about their days. A couple drove on the road in a car. **

Historia gaped, eyes wide. "Look at that...that...box thing with wheels!"

"It's like a small metal wagon. But where is the horse?" Petra asked, trying to reconcile the car with the limited technology they had on the island. "How is it moving on its own?"

_Doesn't look very safe._ Levi thought suspiciously. He was used to traveling via either horse-drawn carriages or the 3D gear. The metal contraption on the TV seemed like such an oddity to him.

"Maybe it's like our 3D gear, powered by the iceburst stone or another similar fuel source," Hange said eagerly, mind whirling from the possibilities. She began sketching a rough design. _Who knows, there might be someone in the Walls with the imagination and brilliance to figure out how to make this metal wagon. _

"I wonder if they control the direction it's going in with that circle, that wheel-like thing." Armin studied the car with great interest. "If it's not alive, then unlike our horses it doesn't tire out so it can keep going for a very long time."

"Their technology is so far ahead of ours," Sasha said in a mix of envy and nervousness.

Jean sighed, arms crossed. "This is making me anxious about what other stuff they've invented while we haven't made much progress technology-wise in a very long time."

"Our last greatest achievement was the 3D Maneuver Gear," Mikasa said with a nod. "And that was invented over seventy years ago."

"We've really gotta haul ass to play catch-up with the rest of the world." But Eren knew it wouldn't be easy. There were many issues with trying to modernize their group, not the least of which was they had no idea how to duplicate the inventions they saw on the TV even if the Royal Government pulled its head out of its ass and gave them permission to invent away.

Erwin felt his ire with their government rise. _They kept us ignorant for far too long. And they stifled anything that could make it easier for us to leave the Walls, thus stagnating our progress and growth as a civilization_. From the look of it, Paradis Island seemed to be incredibly far behind the times—at least compared to their most bitter rival, Marley. Erwin wondered what the royal family was thinking, keeping a chokehold on the truth and limiting progress. But he had an idea. _They must have wanted to maintain their power at all costs_.

Too often the people in charge put their individualistic interests above what was best for the group as a whole. They tended to narrow in on the short-term rather than think of the long run._ I might be wrong about Historia but there's no doubt we have to change internally first before we're able to deal with the outside world_. Forget the rest of the nations of the world, if the people of the Walls were ignorant and fractured, Paradis Island wouldn't even be able to take on just one enemy nation.

"In the sixty years I've been gone they've created so many amazing things." Ymir held up a finger as she listed them off. "Those metal wagons, airships, photographs, and who knows what else? I'm sure there's a lot more we haven't seen."

"That doesn't inspire a whole lot of confidence for our side," Connie said unenthusiastically.

**_"That naive day of my youth," _Grisha narrated. _"…when I…"_**

**Holding holds, Grisha and Faye watched the streets outside of the internment zone with stunned looks. **

**_"…had to face the truth of this world." _**

**Faye and Grisha walked quietly on the side of the road as the other people shot them dirty looks. **

**"Move it, you vermin," a man said, bumping Grisha with his suitcase. **

**Faye hid behind Grisha, scared. **

The excitement some of them still felt at seeing the car leeched from their faces.

Their anticipation at the opportunity to observe a foreign nation dissipated completely, replaced by a heavy wariness at the negativity they were seeing. By Grisha's words, they knew something would go awfully wrong with the two children and waited in dread.

**The friend of the man who bumped into Grisha scoffed. "What, more devil-bloods?" **

**The men started to walk and the first one said, "Damn Eldians crawling around as they please."**

Ymir gave the group a sympathetic look. They had no idea what they were witnessing. Everyone in the room had probably been looked down on at some point in their lives. _But they're not ready for the vitriol against an entire group and for no true reason,_ she thought. She had gotten comfortable in the Walls. Seeing the streets of Marley and its people's vicious and uncaring attitude toward Eldians was going to dredge up the horrible feelings from when she'd been dragged through the city in chains, pelted by rotten fruit and suffering the Marleyans' insults and curses.

**"Grisha," Faye started nervously. **

**"It's alright. Aren't you used to it?" **

"That's not something anyone should be used to," Levi said, disturbed. "Especially children." Those who hurt kids Levi hated more than anyone else in the world.

Back when her parents had been alive, Mikasa had gone into town once or twice with her mother. It had been uncomfortable, the curious but harmless gazes of the people as they spotted her mother._ But for Eren's father and aunt, _she thought. It was outright hostility. She and the other refugees had experienced scorn after Wall Maria's fall but at least it was driven because of ignorance and hunger. _These kids aren't doing anything to them_. Eldians breathing the same air as them, it seemed, was offense enough for the Marleyans.

**"Look," Grisha said, looking at the street ahead of them that led to a grassy bank. "It's right over that bank."**

**The two kids walked up the stairs, admiring the view when they reached the top. Across the river sat the airship they had followed. **

**"It's so big!" Faye's eyes sparkled in delight.**

**Grisha smiled fondly at her. **

**A voice came from the side. "Have you come to see the airship, too?" **

**Grisha noticed the two men in blue and gray uniforms. They were sitting on the grassy decline, the fatter one smoking. The siblings stepped back, Grisha's arm going up protectively before Faye. "Uh, yes," he answered. **

Ymir confirmed their fears. "They ran into the absolute worst people they could have, the Marley Public Security."

Eren began to feel uneasy. _This won't end well. Dad implied as much._ He began preparing himself for the worst.

"Maybe the two men won't say anything," Petra said half-heartedly. "On the account of them being kids."

"Do you really believe that?" Levi asked skeptically and she remained silent.

**"You from the Liberio Internment Zone?" Kruger asked. "Let's see your exit permit."**

Connie slapped his forehead. "Aw, shit."

"We knew trouble was coming," Armin said, dreading what might happen.

**"What? Um…" Grisha began searching his pockets. "I don't have one," he told the soldiers in fear. **

**Kruger fixed his cap on his head. "You entered the city without permission? You know what that means, right?" He went up to them. **

**"Yes," Grisha said softly. **

**"Labor or beating." Kruger knelt before him. "Which is it?" **

"How can he be so casual about it?" Historia asked, shaking her head.

_That place is horrible_. Connie shuddered to think what would have happened if he were born there instead of in the Walls. _I will never complain about not being born in the interior ever again_.

**Grisha selected his punishment and said, "A beating…"**

**"Brother!"**

**"Oh?" Kruger said. "You don't want to trouble your parents?" **

**"Yes. I forced my sister to come with me!" Grisha spoke quietly, frightened. "Please give her punishment to me, too!" **

**"Very well," Kruger accepted, Gross standing behind him, smoking as he listened.**

**"Grisha!" Faye was stricken as Kruger grabbed her brother by the collar and buried his knee in the boy's stomach. **

Petra made a face, muttering, "What an asshat."

"Couldn't they just let them go?" Historia winced. "They're just kids."

"It's not like they committed some unforgivable crime," Sasha agreed. "All they did was leave home without permission."

Erwin shrugged. "They were born Subjects of Ymir. That's crime enough to be a sin over there—or everywhere but here, I guess."

Their faces fell at the reminder.

**"Here's another!" Kruger said and Faye covered her eyes, crying as the sound of the beating continued. **

**"Sheesh, go easy on him, Kruger," Gross said. "Come on." He went to the weeping Faye, placing his hand on her shoulder and guiding her away. "Let's get you on your way home."**

**Grisha's pained gasps were heard, his cap lying in the grass as Gross and Faye left. **

"Phew, looks like that guy's not so bad," Connie said, relieved Faye was out of there.

"I don't know about him," Petra said, unsettled for some reason.

_At least it's only Dad getting his ass kicked._ Eren thought. For a second he'd thought Kruger would ignore his father's choice to take the punishment all on his shoulders and go for his aunt too.

Jean eyed the TV suspiciously. _I don't like the chubby one's voice_. Something about the man rubbed him the wrong way. _He better not do anything to her_. Something in his gut told Jean not to be optimistic.

**A plume of smoke flew into the air. "It was smart not to take off your armbands," Kruger said, sitting on the bank. Grisha lay curled beside him, shaking slightly. **

"Could have been a lot worse," Ymir said. They believed her.

_Why not just take off the armband,_ the thief in Levi wondered. It wasn't like anyone could tell just by looking if you were an Eldian or a Marleyan. _Remove the armband once you're out then put it back on before you return to the internment zone._

**"Eldians without one are sent to paradise, even if they are kids." Kruger took another drag of his cigarette. **

_I guess you're in deep shit if you get caught with the armband off_, Levi thought. Suddenly, the full extent of Kruger's words hit him. He felt creepy shivers go down his spine. Were the smallest Titans the Corps had encountered over the years children who were turned? Despite the fact they were mindless monsters, it had been hard enough to wrestle with the fact that all Titans were once human beings like him. But children? It made him feel even worse.

Petra went over all the Titans she had killed or assisted in killing. How many were small in stature? She knew she shouldn't and it would only torment her later, but she couldn't help but think about it.

Hange felt the worst between the three of them.

"What's the matter?" Erwin asked her, noticing her paling face.

"Bean was 7 meters tall but maybe he was just a short man," Hange replied, voice trembling slightly. "But Sonny was only 4 meters tall." It made her ill. "Was he a child when he was turned?" She was too apprehensive to verbalize her other thought: Had she been cutting into children?

"I doubt it," Erwin said. "We've encountered a lot of small Titans. Somehow I doubt they were all children. Take Armin, for example. He was fifteen when he was turned but his Pure Titan was as tall as a three-story building. Additionally, you need permission to leave the internment zone so how would most kids even get into the city then get caught and be sent here? Grisha and Faye were a rare occurrence, I'm sure. And I doubt the Marleyan government would care too much if Eldian orphans caused trouble in the internment zone and punished them for it, just as long as it wasn't something big or treasonous like what Ymir's cult tricked our Ymir into doing."

Hange latched onto the explanation. "Right, of course. That sounds perfectly reasonable." For the sake of her sanity, she wouldn't question it.

**Grisha sat up weakly. "I'll go…home."**

**"Wait." Kruger stopped him. "Didn't you come to see the airship? Might as well see it."**

**Grisha didn't reply, only moving into a cross-legged sitting position. **

"How horrible is it that he just beat a kid for something dumb like leaving his home without permission and I'm over here thinking he's kind of okay because he still let Grisha see the airship," Petra remarked, saddened at the logic.

"Really says something about Marley that we're considering him to be a halfway decent guy," Historia put in.

* * *

**A small hand was shown in the grass. Blood had coagulated around the ripped flesh of the wrist. **

**_"The following day, my sister was found in the river."_**

They gasped, shock and horror dawning on their faces.

Jean gritted his teeth._ I fucking knew it. I knew he was going to do something terrible._ Sometimes, he really, really hated being right.

Mikasa noted Eren's clenched fists worriedly. "You're not gonna throw something at the TV, are you?"

"...No." Eren was considering putting his foot through the screen though. A part of him hoped desperately Gross was alive just so he could go kill him with his bare hands. _I fucking knew it, _he thought pessimistically. Things never worked out well for his family. _We're only around to be fate's punching bags and suffer_.

Mikasa wished Eren would get angry and throw a fit and scream and rage at the TV. It was better than seeing him get depressed and quiet.

Armin knew what was running through his best friend's head. "You're not cursed, Eren. You've got to stop thinking like that. How did you even get into that mindset?" Armin bit his tongue and mentally slapped himself, flashes of all of Eren's family members they'd been shown suffering in various ways going through his mind. "I mean, look at me and Mikasa. She's totally fine and I even became a Titan-Shifter so I'll be very hard to kill."

"I guess," Eren replied sullenly, still not convinced he was wrong.

**Two security officers stood before the small body by the water as a third man knelt, taking notes. Grisha stood in front of his parents, his mother covering her mouth. **

**"I showed the girl to Liberio's gates and went on my way," Gross informed Mr. and Mrs. Yeager. A lightbulb hung above the table the three sat at. Arms crossed, Kruger stood leaning back against the wall behind the empty chair next to Gross.**

_Interesting invention_. Erwin immediately took note of the lightbulb. Had it been under not so sad circumstances, he knew everyone would have been excited and marveled at it. _We possess something similar to that glowing, glass ball of light_. But he and the others didn't know what it was yet. They'd only seen the soldiers use it to guide them through the forest at night as they made their way to Shinganshina. _Unlike with that earlier metal wagon contraption, this is at least one piece of technology we can replicate or have an equivalent to_.

**"I'm busy with work, you know. Eldian kids shouldn't be roaming the city without permits in the first place," Gross complained. **

**Grisha stood near his father's chair. **

**"It seems that your son doesn't grasp the place of his people. Shouldn't you be teaching him the sins that your ancestors committed?"**

"I really badly want to kick him," Petra huffed irritably. "In the face. Over and over again."

"I'd join you," Mikasa said, glaring at the TV. Due to her background, violence against children was sometimes hard for her to bear, stirring her deep-seated trauma that still gave her stress headaches. But it made her angry, too. She felt that violent itch now to put Gross in his place.

**_"I knew that man from Marley Public Security was lying through his teeth,"_ Grisha narrated as Gross continued to chide Mr. and Mrs. Yeager. **

**"If that's not enough to make him behave, put a collar on him."**

**_"He had been slacking off and was napping on the bank. He wasn't busy at all. Though my mother grieved, my father…" _**

**Tears ran down Mrs. Yeager's face as she sat there, unable to speak. **

**"Thank you so much for your guidance," Mr. Yeager said. "I assure you, I'll teach my foolish son to know better."**

Eren's nostrils flared in rage. "Thank you?! He really fucking _thanked_ him?!" If he had been there, he would have flipped the table over and screamed profanities. Probably gotten himself hauled off as a result and turned into a Pure Titan but it sure would have felt good.

"You can't be mad at your grandfather, Eren. What else could he do?" Armin asked. Though he was grateful the anger had distracted his best friend and pulled him out of his morose mood he was falling into.

"Oh, gee, I don't know, maybe not thank the fucker that killed his daughter?"

"He might not know it was the chubby bastard who did it," Jean pointed out.

"But still! I know they pound it into your head you're subhuman and it's reinforced by literally the entire fucking world, but you can't be that subservient that your own kid's brutal death doesn't wreck you and piss you off."

Armin opened his mouth. "He's—"

"I know," Eren interrupted. "He's already lost one child and frightened to death his son's next with his recklessness, but it still makes my blood boil."

"See? He gets it," Mikasa said quietly to Armin. "It's the situation he's truly upset with, not his grandfather, though Eren might be frustrated with him too at the moment. And..." She shot Armin a look that conveyed what she didn't say:_ It's better to let Eren express anger than get depressed_.

**_"He demeaned himself to the men." _Grisha's eyes were blank with rage. _"I began to hate that man and my father so much that it made me dizzy. But more so, I cursed my own foolishness."_**

* * *

**An illustration of a girl appeared, holding out an apple as a horned demon reached for it. **

**"One thousand, eight hundred and twenty years ago," Mr. Yeager's voice said, "our ancestor Ymir Fritz made a contract with the Devil of All Earth and obtained the Power of the Titans." **

**Soldiers holding swords and spears confronted a large female Titan with long curly hair and pale lightning surrounding her. **

"The Devil of All Earth?" Hange repeated as she took in this new knowledge. Was that a person? A thing? Was it still around?

"D-devil?" Connie squeaked out. "Does that mean ghosts are real too?"

"I wouldn't put too much faith in that story," Erwin cut in before they could get caught up in the bullshit. He wasn't one to take things at face value and he wouldn't allow them to either, especially concerning something like this. "It's not exactly from a reliable source, the teachings of an oppressive group to the oppressed to keep them in line. If this is what Marley allows its citizens to be taught and prints in books as recorded history, it must be censored or completely false. If Marley's anything like our government, they'll probably try to manipulate the history of the world to fit a narrative that works best for them."

"It's totally propaganda," Jean agreed. "People will pull stories out of their asses whenever it's convenient for them. In this case, it's to make the Eldians seem worse by associating them with devils or something."

**"Upon her death, Ymir's spirit was split into the Nine Titans who formed the Eldian Empire."**

**A small group of soldiers was shown fleeing from three giants. One giant had plucked a soldier while it held a hammer in its other hand. Another giant was on all fours. The last one held a massive rock between its hands. **

**Mr. Yeager sat at the table, holding a book open, teaching his son. Mrs. Yeager stood with her back to them. "After defeating the great nation of Marley," Mr. Yeager continued, "they ruled over the continent. Thus began the Dark Ages… The Subjects of Ymir called other races inferior and began to oppress them."**

**A Titan crouched before a burning building, dangling a person by the arm. A group of soldiers was carrying crates out of the building. Another soldier forced some of the scared people to follow one of his comrades. **

**"They stole lands and fortunes, and forced other races to bear their children to increase their numbers. Their ethnic cleansing continued for some 1,700 more years." **

"That couldn't be true, right?" Sasha asked, shaken at the thought of being forced off her land and made to have some stranger's kids.

Eren rolled his eyes. "They've already associated our origins to some devil. Of course they want to turn us into rampant rapists, too. Anything to make us look scummier."

"Think about the might of the Titans even now. Imagine what it would have been like without any means to fight them back centuries ago," Armin pointed out. "But just because they had the power to do it, doesn't mean they did everything the book is claiming. Like Commander Erwin said, we're not sure how reliable the information is. It's coming from a biased source."

"I'm calling bullshit on the eugenics thing," Jean pitched in. "I've no doubt they went around taking over other civilizations and increasing their numbers and it wasn't pretty. But I doubt they had some organized plan to wipe out other races through rape and forceful breeding."

"Knowing how humans can get," Hange said, "they probably did think they were superior to other races. But if they really wanted to erase all other ethnicities, after nearly two thousand years of domination I'm sure they would have made more headway. As Armin said, the Power of the Titans is only just now being pushed back. How could anyone have resisted the Eldians back then?"

"Being a Subject of Ymir doesn't work like race does," Ymir said. "Where you can be X percent this and Y percent that. Take Mikasa, for example. If she has a kid with a Marleyan, it will only be a quarter Eldian but that doesn't matter. You either are a Subject of Ymir, or you are not. You have this...thing inside you or you don't. It's 100% or nothing. So if your parent was a Subject of Ymir, it doesn't matter who you or your descendants marry, all the kids will always come out as Subjects of Ymir. So I'm sincerely doubting any claims of serious and systematic ethnic cleaning. Maybe on a small scale, yes. But it couldn't be as widespread as Marley is saying. Otherwise, after eighteen hundred years without being met with a non-Eldian formidable foe, Subjects of Ymir should make up for almost all of the world's population. But that's just my theory. Obviously I don't know anything for sure. I'm not a scientist. It's just speculation so don't take what I say for a verified fact."

"It makes sense, though," Historia said, shrugging. "It's not an absolute truth by any means, only a theory to keep in mind. But it seems logical and responsible enough to me."

**Mr. Yeager continued, "But the once-great nation of Marley plotted to subvert Eldia and its arrogance from within. They brought seven of the Nine Titans under their control and were victorious in the Great Titan War 80 years ago," he said passionately, clenching his hand into a fist. **

_How did Marley bring together seven of the Nine Titans? _Erwin nitpicked at the sentence._ Aren't Eldians the only ones who can inherit Titan powers?_ Did that mean some Marleyans threatened Eldians to fight for them or did some Eldians side with them willingly? The latter seemed more plausible. Ymir had told them what little she knew about the Tybur family, a group of Eldians who sympathized with Marley and helped them overthrow the Eldian Empire. _All seven inheritors must have been from that family,_ he decided_._

Perhaps the Tyburs didn't have enough time to procreate after the fighting, and the Curse of Ymir was almost upon them, so the Titans had to be passed down to Eldians outside their family. Or maybe the Tybur Shifters died in battle and it was out of Marley's control and they located the Shifter babies. _They must have opted to pass down all but one of the seven Titans to brainwashed Eldians so the Tybur family wasn't annihilated due to the Curse of Ymir_.

**The TV showed a map of a small island beside a large continent. **

Erwin paused so Hange could copy it down.

"It's massive!" Historia said, struggling to wrap her head around the size of it all. Trying to multiply what she'd seen of the outside of Wall Maria from the No Regrets episodes to get an idea of how large the island was, then multiplying it even further to get a grasp on the size of the continent was extraordinarily difficult.

"Based on landmass alone, the number of soldiers they have has got to be several times higher than us," Petra said, not particularly thrilled about it. "And we're also behind them in technological development."

"It won't matter much against an army of Colossal-type Titans," Eren said. He hoped the TV gave him firm answers about commanding his Founding Titan's full power. Currently they only had theories and guesses, nothing solid.

**"The Eldian King at the time erected three Walls on the island of Paradis," Mr. Yeager said, pointing to the island on the map, "and fled there with many of his people." The shot expanded and his finger moved to the continent. "Our ancestors were abandoned and left behind on this continent, but…" **

**Grisha listened without a word, his face blank and his eyes dazed. **

**"The gracious people of Marley let us live and stay on their land…" Mr. Yeager's voice faded, replaced by Grisha's. **

The words "gracious people of Marley" put a sour taste in their mouths.

**_"My father was talkative for someone who had just lost his daughter. He obeyed his master's command and gladly shamed his own ancestry, much like he was their dog."_**

**"That man was telling lies," Grisha said at last. **

**Mr. Yeager startled and his wife, still crying and holding a handkerchief, turned to look at their son. **

**"The truth wasn't good for him, so he lied."**

**"Quiet," Mr. Yeager hissed at him. "The walls here are thin."**

"Can you imagine being unable to speak your mind in your own damn home?" Jean felt suffocated at the thought of it.

"How do they live like that?" Historia asked, unable to imagine it. She may have been confined to the farm but she was allowed to think and speak freely, then even leave to go join the Training Corps.

"Like we learned to live inside the Walls," Armin responded. "It's the environment they were born and raised in. It's the only way of life they know."

**"I bet he's the one who took Faye and—" **

**"Silence!" Mr. Yeager yelled at his son, standing and hitting his hands on the table. Silence fell. "I told you…" Sweat covering his face, he sat back down and returned to the lesson. **

"I can't imagine having kids in such an oppressive place," Mikasa said, creeped out.

"It's as Armin said," Jean began, "it's the only way of life they know. We might find the idea of having kids in a place like that too horrible to even consider, but it's just the norm to them."

"I'm sure cheap labor and having someplace to look down on probably has something to do with it," Levi said. The Underground wouldn't exist, and below the rich and luxurious Wall Sina at that, if there weren't financial and egotistical motivations at play. He had seen the breathtaking and elegant buildings in Mitras, had seen the obvious wealth of its citizens. The Royal Government was fully capable of rehoming the people of the subterranean city despite all their nose-turning at dump before their feet but they refused to lift a finger to help. After all, they had their own use for the poor city. Levi doubted Marleyans were any different. _No, they're worse. _In spite of their claims of hating Eldians, they wanted them to keep procreating to some extent.

**Mr. Yeager picked up the lecture where he left off, ignoring his son's accusation. "Our ancestors did terrible things. They believed in eugenics and tried to cleanse—"**

**"Faye and I did nothing like that!" Grisha screamed and hit his fists on the table, almost crying. "We were just walking around!" **

**"What is wrong with you?" Mr. Yeager asked. "Are you that eager for all of us to get shipped off to paradise?" **

**Surprised, Grisha looked from his father to his mother. **

**"Listen, Grisha…" Mr. Yeager appeared tired and beaten down. "It doesn't matter that we're not directly responsible for the sins. But what we are able to do is live humble lives within this internment zone. I'm begging you. Please don't lead us all to the same fate as Faye."**

**_"I wonder who was truly in the wrong. Was it me or this world?" _**

**"Okay," Grisha said. "I understand." **

**_"Perhaps it was both." _**

_Or perhaps it's just the world,_ Eren thought stubbornly. His father was absolutely right to be furious with a world that punished people for crimes committed by their ancestors, for being devastated and outraged by his innocent young sister's senseless murder. _If they want to play by those rules then the entire world should pay and humans should all die_. He doubted there was a single person who didn't have someone in their family line who hadn't committed an atrocity.

* * *

**A shovel dug into bricks and a teenage Grisha straightened up. **

**_"I was ignorant and foolish." _**

**Grisha and another Eldian flinched, bracing themselves as a Marleyan threw a bottle at them from the other side of the hole in the street the boys were fixing. There was a crowd around the man, some of them holding bottles of their own. They cheered or made angry faces at the two Eldians. **

"See?" Levi nodded to the TV. "Like I said, free labor. I doubt they're being paid for that work. Or if they are, it's probably only a fraction of what they'd pay one of their own to do the same amount of work."

"Labor costs must be extremely low if the laborers don't possess basic human rights," Petra snorted. "It works out well for them economically."

"It's not just a psychological mindset," Erwin agreed. "I'm betting their continued oppression of the Eldians is also motivated by financial reasons."

_That means changing their minds from an emotional standpoint won't be enough if that's something we might want to try._ Hange thought. There were economical ramifications to consider, which meant it would be harder to convince them to see things more peacefully or diplomatically. She might not know a Marleyan but Hange knew human greed well enough to know how that would go.

**_"The world was irrational and insane."_**

* * *

**A room with a bed and a large cabinet near the window appeared. Grisha sat at the table before the cabinet, a patient sitting before him. **

**_"I discovered my own path in life when I was eighteen. It was around the time I was to take over my father's clinic."_**

**"What is that wound of yours?" Grisha asked, holding a pen to a piece of paper. **

**Grice removed his shirt further to fully reveal the x-shaped scar on his right upper arm. "This is proof I'm a patriot."**

**"A patriot?" **

**"Your sister was killed by a man in Marley Public Security." Grice's words made Grisha gasp. "We have an informant inside the Marley government. There are some things you need to hear."**

"Interesting," Armin muttered, mind already making several connections. "I wonder if your dad was part of some rebel group and came to this island to steal the Founding Titan, then use it to free the Eldians suffering under Marley."

"That sounds plausible." Jean nodded. "I hope they show us how Eren's father got his Titan."

* * *

**"It can't be!" Grisha exclaimed, tears falling from his eyes. "You're kidding me!" **

**Six other men sat around him in the underground room. **

**_"When I learned the truth of my sister's death, I swore in my heart…that I'd show them who the real devil was." _**

**Faye was on the ground, three snarling dogs set on her.**

Petra couldn't hold back her groan. "This is not what I meant when I said I wanted to see dogs as a secret reveal or twist."

"Candy has a twisted sense of humor, it seems, and the TV does love fucking with us," Levi told her.

**Three boys and Gross watched as the dogs went after the terrified Faye.**

"I have never felt the need to eat someone in my Titan body," Eren said furiously. "and resolved myself never to do it if the urge ever hit me. But I'd make an exception for this lowlife fucker."

Jean grunted. "You better not, Eren. Someone that disgusting would probably give you indigestion."

**_"That my ancestors had done the right thing," _Grisha narrated as his eighteen-year-old self cut an x just above his heart, the other men cheering him on. _"In order to correct the world again, Eldia would have to be restored." _Grisha gritted his teeth, fury clear on his face. **

**A man in uniform with his back to the screen was shown. **

**_"Our informant in the Marleyan government was called 'the Owl.' He led the Restorationists without ever showing himself." _**

**The group was inspecting rifles and going through books in the underground. **

Eren felt something positive for the first time this episode. _It doesn't matter how much you oppress someone. There's always going to be at least one person willing to push back and fight for freedom_. And that one person would be enough to raise others, building momentum and leading to change.

**"Look!" Grisha stood before the table and they gathered around him. "This is the truth!" An old book and a worn scroll were laid out on the table. "Our founder Ymir awakened the Power of the Titans… Cultivated the wilds… Built roads… And bridged the mountains!"**

"Seems these items don't speak of any Devil." Not that Armin was surprised. Naturally, histories written in favor of Eldians wouldn't link the race's origin to some evil entity. "It's like we thought. Filling the history books with lies was a great tool to manipulate the population and kept Eldians like Mr. Yeager in check. It really was just propaganda."

"History is written by the victor," Ymir said wisely. "Don't quote me on that. I didn't come up with it. It's a common saying."

**The scroll had a drawing of what appeared to be large figures holding up a bridge between a valley as people led a cart across it. Around the two Titans were trees with animal drawings on each side. **

**"She helped the people prosper and develop this entire continent!" Grisha declared confidently. **

**"The history we were taught is just a convenient deception for Marley!" **

**"Impressive, Grisha…" Grice said the others continued to talk. **

**"That's right!"**

**"Even if they fool the others, they can't trick us true Eldians!" **

**"You can read this ancient language." Grice was impressed. **

**"No…I still haven't deciphered most of it."**

Connie wasn't sold on Grisha's declarations about Ymir Fritz's endless goodness. "It sounds way too good to be true, if you ask me."

"He can't read the book," Jean said, "he said so himself. He's just _deciphering_ an ancient language and making assumptions on some drawings."

"Much as I'd like Dr. Yeager to be right, it's not the most reliable way to get confirmation," Mikasa admitted. "It might just be wishful thinking on his part."

"It probably _is_ wishful thinking." Eren shrugged, not nearly as optimistic as his old man. "No one, especially those with too much power compared to everyone else, is that generous. I don't think Ymir Fritz was some demon but she was no angel either."

"Your own bias often gets in the way." Armin nodded. "If you're convinced of something and you go looking for evidence to support it, you're bound to find 'proof' and think you're right. That's what I think is happening here. They don't want their founder to be evil incarnate so they're viewing any historical texts or illustrations they find with a corrupted view."

"And considering how they're raised, it makes sense for them to desperately want to see their progenitor as benevolent and kind," Historia added.

"Marley and this rebel group see history with two opposite but concrete beliefs: the Eldian Empire was the greatest blessing to humanity or the scourge of the human race." But Ymir knew people were more complicated than that. No one was all good or all bad. "In reality, it was probably a scale that went this way and that over the course of two millennia."

Erwin felt so proud at their refusal to accept Grisha's rosy view, even though it would have made them feel better about their ancestors._ They're thinking critically and not accepting something as the truth just because they want it to be,_ he thought, smiling in satisfaction.

"Look at the little baby chicks," Hange cooed. "They're growing! Don't you just feel like a proud mama hen?" She elbowed Erwin.

"Admittedly, I kind of do."

Levi snorted, rolling his eyes, as Hange and Petra laughed.

**"Then how did you know the truth?" Grice asked Grisha. **

**"Isn't it staring us in the face? I know it because I believe in our founder Ymir!" **

Some of them sighed, nodding knowingly.

"Like we figured. It's not a fact but wishful thinking."

"He just said he believes it because he wants to."

"They need the boost. Their sense of identity and pride has been battered for generations."

"Yeah, can't really blame them for viewing what they find with rose-colored glasses."

**"We're the chosen children of God! The Subjects of Ymir!" **

**The group thew up their arms and cheered. ****"Yeah!" **

"Now that's a bit excessive."

"Eh, it could be he's only trying to get everyone riled up and motivated. I hope that's the case, anyway."

_You can't think of yourself as someone special or chosen by Gods._ Erwin had seen how it corrupted one's thinking and made committing crimes against other humans excusable. Marley also did the same. They saw Eldians as devils so their mistreatment was acceptable by society. _That kind of thinking also makes people believe they're infallible, leading them to be completely unprepared when life smashes a fist in their nose._

**A man opened the door and said loudly, "Comrades! The Owl sent us somebody!" **

**"Nice to meet you, everyone." A woman stepped through the door and removed her hood. "My name is Dina Fritz," she said. "I'm a descendant of the royal family."**

**_"I allowed fate to steer my life and followed wherever it took me."_**

**The group sat and listened to Dina read from a book, standing before them. **

**_"She was the last descendant of royal blood who remained on the continent. She provided info about the Titans that only the royal family knew. This was the break we needed for victory."_**

**A drawing of a tall woman appeared with two giants bowing on either of her sides and five more below them. **

**"I'm sure of it!" Grisha slammed his hand on the drawing pinned to the board. Dina stood beside him as the others were gathered around them. "The King took the Founding Titan into the Walls! If we obtain that, we can control all other Titans and completely annihilate Marley!" **

**The drawing came into focus, with the tall woman holding a horn in one hand and light shining with clothes flying out of the other hand she held above her head.**

"I know she's a Titan but damn, she's hot."

"Connie...I'm with you there."

Sasha snorted. "Really, Jean?"

"What, you think Eren's Titan is hot though, don't you?"

"...Okay fine, you have me there."

"I find all of your guys' obsession with my Titan unhealthy and creepy. Weirdoes."

**"But if he could wield a power that absolute," someone said, "why did he flee to an island?" **

**"That is because he refused to fight," Dina answered. **

**There was a drawing of a large crack in the earth with two groups facing off against each other, both with giants mixed among the soldiers. **

**"At the time of the Great Titan War," Dina explained, "the King abandoned his role of balancing the continent's powers and moved the capital to a remote island." The giants stood side by side as the Walls were formed around them. "And so," she said sadly, "these wretched days we live all began when the king turned away from conflict."**

"But why?" Ymir asked. She couldn't understand why the king would run.

"Because he was obviously a coward," Eren said plainly. "He couldn't fight and ran off to hide and die slowly, condemning all the Eldians on the mainland to a horrible fate just because he couldn't control the others in their warmongering ways."

"But he had the Founding Titan," Petra pointed out. "He should have been unstoppable, or nearly unstoppable."

"Then it probably wasn't about being unable to fight but unwilling to," Levi guessed. "With the most powerful Titan at his disposal, getting everyone to fall in line shouldn't have been too much of a hassle. But he didn't, so I'm guessing he didn't want to. Maybe he didn't have what it took to straighten everyone out."

**"Let's fight!" Grisha said strongly and Dina looked at him in surprise. "The true royal family held their ground on this continent for the sake of Eldia!" He gestured his hand toward Dina. "It's time we bring the Founding Titan back to them!" **

**The others stood up. **

**"My comrades! We'll overthrow Marley and restore the pride of Eldia!" **

**"Yeah!" The group roared in unison. **

**Grisha was surprised when he noticed Dina. She cried and threw her arms around him. **

Sasha slouched back against the couch. "I wanna feel excited for them but I don't think things are going to turn out well for them."

"There's barely even a dozen people there." Levi scanned the number of rebels in the underground room. "How exactly do they plan to rebel and seize control with those pathetic numbers?"

"That's what I'm thinking," Historia said. "It'd be a different matter if they had a few Titans powers or people with influence or high intelligence, but..."

"Have they even considered what happens if they _do_ manage to take out Marley?" Erwin asked though he didn't think they did. "Will they annihilate the entire country, squashing it under the feet of the Colossal-type Titans since that's all those things can do? Because if they do, how will they eat and survive? Suppose they have the foresight to leave farmland untouched, will they enslave the Marleyans and make them work the fields? But then they're extremely outnumbered and have to control the Marleyans somehow using a population that's considered itself worthless for decades. It's not just about taking down the enemy but what happens afterward. No point in overthrowing their oppressors if the surrounding nations band together to stick them back in internment zones. Or wipe them all out and get it over with, saving them from a headache in the future. If they win, their rebellion could actually make things even worse than they already are for the Eldians around the world."

"I'd say let's hope they fail but I'm sure they already did," Hange said.

* * *

**_"The next year, the two of us married and were blessed with a son." _**

**Grisha held the small blond child. Dina smiled, sitting in bed behind him. **

**_"His name was Zeke."_**

**"A child with royal blood…" Grisha said eagerly, holding Zeke close to his face. "Someday, this child will lead us all to victory…" **

"Uh, no offense, Eren," Ymir started, "but your dad's being really crappy right now."

"Can't say I can disagree with you there."

Jean wrinkled his nose. "The mom's not any better, either. They're both just seeing their kid as a tool, not a person. They have no consideration to what he might want."

Historia scoffed, "No wonder Zeke was babbling about brainwashing and all that."

"He's still a douche, though," Connie growled. The image of his mother as a Titan was seared into his head.

Sasha nodded. "No arguments there."

**A photographer stepped out from under the black cloth of the machine and smiled at the family. **

**_"As time goes on, people change…"_**

**The trio straightened up, Zeke sitting in his mother's lap in the green chair with Grisha standing next to it. **

**_"As the world around us rapidly advanced, a turning point came for the Restorationists."_**

**"Listen up, Eldians!" A man in a gray uniform addressed the crowd from the stage. "We will be selecting warriors from various zones around the continent!" **

**_"The Marley government needed Subjects of Ymir to serve as vessels for the Nine Titans and become Marleyan warriors." _**

**"If chosen," the man continued, "their family will be granted the title of Honorary Marleyans and…"**

**Dina and Grisha looked at each other.**

* * *

**"According to info from the Owl," Grisha read from some pieces of paper in the underground room, surrounded by his fellow patriots, "the reason Marley is making a move is to prepare themselves for a struggle for resources as military technology advances." **

"So much for their high and mighty attitude," Ymir said sarcastically. "They told Marcel and the others it was more about saving the world or some shit when in the end it was just a resource-grabbing scheme."

"Not that any of us should be surprised." Levi certainly wasn't. "Eldians or Marleyans," he said, "humans will be humans."

**Airplanes flew over a steamboat in the water. **

Historia felt her stomach fall. "Look at that, more crazy inventions."

"And Marley's worried about preparing for other nations' advancement in military technology. Meaning they're possibly behind the world, and we're behind even them."

Armin's words made them mutter nervously.

But Eren felt calm and unbothered. "So what if we're behind the world? What else is new? We've always been the underdogs, haven't we? And at least now we know what to prepare for. We're not blind as bats when we go out there."

**"Though Marley leads the world using the power of the Seven Titans, the end of their dominance is nigh." **

**On a map, Paradis Island was shown. **

**"A massive cache of fossil fuel lies beneath Paradis, and gone are the days they can ignore it. But the King of the Walls left this warning behind eighty years ago…" Grisha said, looking up. **

**Figures of Colossal-type Titans were shown walking side by side, leaving behind massive footprints. **

**"'If you ever interfere with us, the millions upon millions of Titans in the Walls will flatten the entire world.'" **

**The group listened to him, appearing stunned and intimidated. **

"Is that how many Colossal-type Titans are in the Walls?" Connie asked, awed and a little afraid. He felt uneasy thinking the only thing keeping the behemoths contained was a couple of layers of bricks. _But the Walls' hardness is like Reiner's Titan,_ he tried to assure himself. They couldn't simply wake up and go for an afternoon stroll.

"I doubt it's millions of Titans," Hange said, flipping through her notebook. "Where is it? Ah! Here it is. I did some calculations and based on the dimensions of the Walls as well as an idea of the size of the Colossal-type Titans, I'm _estimating_ there to be is around half a million max. It might not be the right number but I think it's more accurate than several million. Even if I've downplayed some factors, the math simply does not support that enormous number."

"Millions seems way too excessive," Erwin said. "It's probably an exaggeration. The king was making a threat to keep everyone at bay."

Armin nodded. "Bringing hundreds of thousands of Eldians to the island and turning them into Colossal-type Titans makes more sense than millions upon millions."

"Do you think they volunteered to be turned into mindless monsters and get buried alive or did he forcibly turn them?" Levi asked.

No one spoke but they knew they were all thinking the same answer.

**"As long as this threat exists, none dared to confront him. The thing is, the Marley government has the same goal as us. To infiltrate the Walls and recover the Founding Titan," Grisha concluded as the drawing of Ymir Fritz flashed on the screen. **

**"What do we do?" The man who spoke was bald on top with a thick white beard. "At this rate…" **

**"…Marley will get it before us," Grice finished. **

"Was that SanTan as a human?"

"Petra, how the hell do you still remember that stupid name?"

"How could we forget when it bugs you so much?" Hange teased Levi. "But it supports our guess their rebellion will likely end in disaster."

**"If that happens, Eldia won't see the light of day again!" **

**"No… There's still a way for us. We'll have my son Zeke…"**

**When the door to his room opened, Zeke looked up from the toy he was playing with. **

**"…become a Marleyan warrior!" **

Eren was suddenly reminded of when Mikasa had blabbed his decision to join the Corps to his parents. His mother had tried to talk him out of it and insisted Grisha do the same. But his father hadn't rejected or accepted his decision. _Yet now he's deciding for Zeke what his life will be like_. His father had to realize turning his son into a Shifter would mean making him bloody his hands. But he pushed him into that life anyway. Grudgingly, Eren found himself accepting why Zeke was convinced Grisha wasn't a fit parent and had brainwashed his second son too.

* * *

**"Got it, Zeke?" Grisha instructed the dazed boy who sat between with his father on one side and his mother on the other. **

"This is eerily familiar," Historia said. "He's doing the same thing his father did to him. How horribly ironic."

"This is bound to blow up in their faces," Jean said. "Eren's dad grew up and rebelled against what he was taught by his father. I have a feeling Zeke will too and that's how they get caught."

Eren nodded. "It would explain how my dad got sent to Paradis and Zeke became loyal to Marley."

**Grisha was pointing to the book open in front of Zeke, his hand on the boy's head. "Everything the Marleyans are telling you is wrong. But more so than anyone else, you have to obey exactly what they say."**

**"You're the one who will save Eldia from disgrace," Dina said, her hand on her son's shoulder. **

**"Okay… I understand…" Zeke replied with a trance-like look on his face.**

Petra made a pitying sound. "He's got the same look in his eyes that Eren's father used to have."

"I guess Dad learned from his mistakes because he didn't repeat them with me. He was very encouraging of free thinking and making my own choices."

**_"But if anyone, I should have known…"_**

**Zeke was replaced by Grisha when he was young, having lessons drilled into him by Mr. Yeager. **

"Wow, they're practically identical," Sasha said. "Just the hair color is different. I guess they are father and son."

**_"How terrible the sin to besmirch one's beliefs on your children… Not as a child of royal blood… Not as the hope of restoring Eldia… But as my son Zeke, had I ever thought of him that way?" _**

**A young Zeke stood, eyes wide and glassy. He pointed straight ahead. **

**_"In any case, Zeke chose to protect himself and his grandparents…"_**

**Mr. Yeager and Mrs. Yeager stood behind their grandson. A man in glasses, Tom, knelt by the boy, hands on his shoulders. **

**Surrounded by Marleyan soldiers with their guns aimed, Dina and Grisha stood in complete shock. **

**_"…in exchange for turning in his foolish parents to Marley Public Security."_**

Armin sighed. "Well, we already called it from the start their ill-planned rebellion was going to end in failure."

"Gotta give them props for trying, though," Petra said, trying to be more considerate of their circumstances. "Seeing a little of the environment they were born and raised in, the fact they thought of and tried to rebel in the first place is worthy of praise."

"The irony really doesn't let up," Ymir said. "Grisha tried to brainwash his son the same way his father did and rather than do what he was taught, Zeke went the opposite route and ended any chances of Eldians improving their lives."

* * *

**"We're here."**

**The blindfold was removed to reveal a sandy landscape with small rocky hills in the short distance.**

_This must be where I woke_, Ymir thought. _Or somewhere near there but further inland since I was surrounded completely by sand_. She couldn't remember there being a wall or rocky formations in sight, though.

"That looks like some of the pictures from my grandfather's book," Armin said in awe.

"Look at that dirt!" Hange gushed. "It looks like waves in a river!"

"Sand," Ymir corrected her. "It's called sand, not dirt. It's very loose and shifty."

"It looks so pretty," Historia cooed.

Levi was not that impressed. "I bet it gets in everything and is impossible to get out."

**Grisha opened his eyes slowly. "This is…paradise…" **

**Rocky formations surrounded the small wall with a smattering of humans atop it. Eight flights of stairs led down to four wharves, against one of which a ship was docked. **

Hange started doodling it.

"This reminds me," Jean said, "we're gonna need ships."

"We're surrounded completely by water, we'll need a navy." Ymir shrugged when they all looked at her. "Don't look at me. I don't know how to build battleships, and definitely not ones capable of going across oceans."

"We still have to retake Wall Maria first," Hange thought out loud. "Even if we manage to figure out how to build those ships we won't have the necessary supplies for a navy. In fact, we'll probably need access to the entire island's resources for something like that."

**"That's right," Kruger said, hands in his pockets, standing behind Grisha. "The penal colony of Eldian traitors: Paradis Island. This is where you'll serve your life sentence…"**

**Grisha turned his head back to look at him. His hands were tied behind him, the bandages wrapped around them bloody. **

**"As a Pure Titan, that is."**

Historia frowned in confusion. "That can't be right. Shouldn't he get one of the nine Titans first?"

"Maybe he already did and we just haven't been shown it yet," Mikasa proposed.

"Guys," Sasha said with a gasp, "I have a crazy idea! Maybe Zeke turning them all in was part of the plan and he's secretly working against Marley! He turned his parents in so his dad could get to Paradis Island and take the Founding Titan. Getting sent here as punishment is the only way to get here, right?" She turned to Ymir, who nodded.

"But why would he also get his mother into trouble?" Jean asked. "She's of royal blood and it would be dumb to get her arrested, giving them access to royal blood. Or what if Marley found out about her by accident once they had her even if he didn't reveal that secret? They could force her to have children for them and weaponize them."

"Not to mention," Levi added, "why wouldn't Grisha mention it in his journals to Eren? So he'd know he had a brother, an ally, out there."

"Oh, yeah, when you put it that way," Sasha laughed sheepishly. "It doesn't make any sense."

* * *

**Grisha screamed in pain, naked and restrained to a wooden chair with leather straps. Two men stood on either side of the chair. **

Eren, Mikasa, and Armin were particularly disturbed by the scene, having known Eren's father personally.

_I hope they end this quickly._ Petra thought. It could not be easy to see one's father being tortured. She would certainly feel sick if she were in Eren's place, unable to bear the horrible sight of her father being tortured.

**"Answer me," demanded a man with round glasses. "Who is the Owl?!" **

**"Please! No more!" Grisha begged, crying. Behind the interrogator with glasses, Kruger was seen with his arms crossed, leaning by the wall. "I told you everything! It's true!" **

**"That's unfortunate. Let's do another."**

**Kruger didn't react, listening to them continue to torture Grisha. **

Erwin eyed Kruger with suspicion. _Could he be...?_ It would certainly explain a lot. How the Owl was able to send them supplies and information. And Grisha had been screaming about telling his torturers everything. _Does that include the identity of Dina Fritz as a royal?_ If Kruger was the Owl and the one whom Grisha had told Dina's secret to under pain, Kruger could bury it, pretend he never heard it. He could direct his fellow interrogators to keep putting pressure on Grisha about the Owl instead, sending them in the wrong direction knowing Grisha had no idea who it was.

* * *

**Recognition flashed on Grisha's face, remembering seeing Kruger in his home with Gross. Grisha faced the desert before him. "I've met you before… When I was little…" **

**"You remember that?" Kruger asked. **

**"As if I could ever forget what happened that day!" **

**A black cloth tied around his eyes and hands restrained behind his back, Grice was escorted past Grisha. "Please, just kill me…" His voice shook as he spoke weakly. "Don't…" **

**"Keep walking!" The Marleyan soldier forced him to keep moving. **

**"Please not a Titan…"**

Ymir felt cold chills go down her spine, recalling her own experience as a Pure Titan. She could understand too well the fear Grice had to be feeling. By pure dumb luck, she may have eaten a Shifter and regained her human form but if she had been given a choice that day on the wall, she would have chosen to die than become a Titan, cursed to wander in endless misery.

**"Grice?"**

**"Grisha?! What the hell?!" Grice turned his head right, where Grisha's voice came from. "Why in the world did Zeke betray us?! He's your son!" His blindfold was removed. "I was an idiot to entrust everything to you! The Restorationists," he screamed in frustration. "Dina, too! Say something!" **

**Grisha's eyes widened in sorrow. "I'm sorry…" **

**"Why did we let…a guy like you…?" Grice wept, head bowed. "Eldia is finished…" **

Erwin wondered if Kruger knew what Grisha had been up to. _If he really is the Owl, that is_. Did he, perhaps, have any plans as to what to do after crushing Marley if they'd managed to get the Founding Titan? He had to be fairly intelligent if he was able to elude capture for so long and run things from the shadows.

**Gross walked up to Grice. "We've got a lively one here. You're free to go." He kicked Grice off the wall. **

**"Grice!" **

**Grice went rolling down on the ground.**

**"Hey, Grice!" **

**"Run straight north!" Gross yelled, cupping his mouth with one hand. Grisha looked at him in surprise. "If you're lucky, you might make it to the Wall!"**

They narrowed their eyes suspiciously, not believing for a second he was being kind and giving helpful advice.

**Hands still tied behind him, Grice struggled to his knees. **

**"Sergeant Major Gross?" The Marleyan soldier said in confusion. **

**"Hmm? This your first time here?" Gross asked, arms crossed. Ten Marleyans stood behind a prisoner each on the wall. "If we let him run off," Gross said as Grice ran, "the Titans we're about to make will chase him down and leave the area. It won't be long till he's eaten. Isn't that right, Kruger?" **

**"Yeah."**

"I'd hide behind one of the sand hills," Connie said, thinking fast.

"Sand dunes." Ymir sighed happily. "You have no idea how good it feels to correct you all."

"Yes, we've noticed," Armin said in amusement.

"I used to have to bite my tongue around everyone so I wouldn't accidentally tip you off to the fact I was from outside the Walls. It feels good to talk freely—in secret and with only you guys around, I mean, but still."

"If the sand's loose like you said," Petra said, "I'd just go over a small hill and burrow myself in, out of their view."

"That's actually not too bad a plan." Jean rubbed his chin. "Better than running around in the middle of the day when Titans will be active for hours and hours at end."

Historia nodded, saying, "And it's not like the Marleyans can chase after you."

"But how would you keep the sand out of your nose?" Mikasa asked. "You'll need to hold your breath for a while until the Titans are gone."

"And it'll be difficult to tell if they're gone cause the sand will probably muffle their footsteps," Hange said.

"Maybe you can mostly hide yourself under the sand but leave your nose sticking out for air," Eren suggested. "Like you can do underwater."

Connie waved a hand. "Nah, if a Titan saw that it might get curious and dig you out. Then you've got nowhere to run. I'd say you should run sideways cause Titans are dumb as rocks and will probably move straight ahead."

"That's enough, everyone." Erwin stopped them before their tangent became uncontrollable. "I think you're thinking too deeply about this."

"He's right, brats. Save it for later," Levi said, "when you've got time to waste."

**_It's him… Without a doubt…_ Grisha thought, staring at Gross. _He's the one who killed my sister!_**

**Gross clapped his hands. "Alright! We've got a bunch to do this time!" At his words, the soldiers began getting the injections ready. "Let's get a move on!" **

**"Guys…" Grisha said, stricken. **

**The men screamed when they were injected. **

**"Don't do it!" **

**They were kicked off the wall and went crashing into the sandy ground. An orange glow covered a whimpering Grisha as he watched them transform. **

**"Guys!" **

**The Titans noticed the man running in the distance. **

"Should've run sideways," Connie said quietly, shaking his head.

"He was probably too scared and panicked to think straight," Historia said with pity in her voice.

**"Stop it! Guys, stop it! It's Grice! Can't you see?!" **

**"Kruger! He's so annoying," Gross complained. "I can't stand it." **

**"I still want to interrogate him a bit," Kruger told Gross. "Continue without me."**

**"Oh? A woman this time?" Gross said when a soldier brought Dina over. "What a waste… If only you weren't a devil!"**

"Looks like they don't know she's a royal," Armin observed. "No way they would have brought her there otherwise." He recalled Grisha's words and started having a sneaky suspicion.

"We knew beforehand she was going to be a Titan, remember?" Mikasa reminded them. "In the last season when Eren had her killed we figured out who she was."

"I'll admit, I completely forgot about that," Sasha confessed. "Feels like a lifetime ago."

Eren half wished the Marleyans had known about Dina so his mother could have been spared. Then a horrible thought came to him: _But her death sent you down this path_. His father became desperate after the death of his wife and went after the royal family and stole the Founding Titan. _Then he passed on the two Titans to me when I was at the refugee camp_. If his mother hadn't died, then the rest might not have happened. In a disturbing way, his mother's death had sent his father down a certain path, which led Eren to where he was today._ No, it's just speculation,_ he thought dismissively. And the past was already gone. Eren was going to keep his eyes focused on the future and continue moving forward.

**Distraught, Grisha looked to see Dina on her knees to his left. "Dina…"**

**"Darling…" Dina whispered after her blindfold was removed. **

**"Why are you here? I…I told them everything there is to know! She's a royal—"**

**"Silence!" Kruger growled, slapping his hand over Grisha's mouth and twisting Grisha's arm behind his back. **

**_Could it be…_ Grisha thought, struggling to speak. _…he's trying to cover it up?! _**

By now most of them had figured out the Owl's identity. But they waited anxiously, not wanting to say it out loud and jinx it.

**"Sheesh," Gross said. "Make him a Titan and shut him up already."**

**"Grisha, I…" Dina spoke with a sad smile as she was injected. "No matter what form I take, I promise I'll come and find you."**

Petra winced. It might have been sweet if it wasn't so damn tragic and senseless.

"What are the chances?" Ymir muttered. Somehow, someway something had pulled the Titanized woman to her husband's house, ending with her attacking Grisha's second family.

**"That's lovely." Gross laughed and came up behind Dina, kicking her off. "You'll make a great Titan couple."**

**"Dina!" Grisha cried out as his wife transformed. **

**The Titan appeared with a disturbingly wide mouth and an eerie smile. **

_I used to hate that face so much_. Eren thought. He still loathed the Titan, but he mostly felt pity for the woman.

_Poor Grisha_. Hange thought fate seemed to have it out for him. His sister got mauled by dogs and killed violently. His oldest son betrayed him. His first wife was turned into a Titan and ate his second wife in front of his younger son. _He has to then reduce his younger son's lifespan down to thirteen years. And eventually Eren goes on to have his mother's killer, his stepmother, ripped apart and killed brutally. _Now Grisha's two sons were pitted against each other. _It was just one thing after another_. Perhaps Eren wasn't off with the whole Yeager Family Curse thing.

* * *

**Eren woke, screaming at the top of his lungs, crying. **

**It startled Armin, who slept outside the cells with a white blanket around him. Mikasa sat up in her bed at once in the adjacent cell. **

**Eren was stunned at first before looking around. "Where is this? Who…am I?" **

**"Eren, relax!" Armin stood before Eren's cell. "You're in the stockades," he said as Eren approached the bars. "You and Mikasa are serving time for insubordination."**

**"Were you having a nightmare, Eren?" Mikasa asked, worried, her hair sticking out in every direction. **

The sight sent the group into laughter.

Hange grinned at the shock of black hair pointing in all directions. "That is a most glorious bedhead, Mikasa."

"Really impressive how it defies gravity," Eren teased, trying not to laugh. "It's been like that since we were kids."

"Really?" Sasha asked and Armin confirmed, making them laugh again.

Mikasa touched her head in embarrassment.

"No need to be shy." Petra giggled. "I only wish I looked half as good wearing my bedhead."

**"Yeah…" Eren replied. "I was…"**

**"You just said… 'Who am I?'" Armin told him. **

**"What?" **

**"You did," Mikasa confirmed. "Are you crying, Eren?" **

**"I feel like…I just woke up from the longest dream ever." **

The line reminded Eren of what he'd said in the first episode. _I practically saw the future and the past, but back then I wasn't a Shifter yet so it couldn't be some Titan power thing. _How had he seen those images? It was a mystery that continued to confound him.

**Eren moved to the side of his cell and sat against the wall, touching his forehead. "No… Not a dream… Memories… Just now, I was connected to my dad's memories."**

**Mikasa listened silently. **

**"That Titan…" Eren's tears fell on the ground. "It was you…"**

* * *

**"Dina…" Grisha said softly, watching the Smiling Titan leave. **

Their good mood brought on by Mikasa's bedhead evaporated as they were sucked back into grim reality.

**Gross laughed, pointing at the Titan. "Look! She's running after Grice and forgot all about you! I guess she fancies that guy more than you!" **

**"Shut up!" Grisha snapped, forehead touching the ground, eyes squeezed shut. **

**"Did you say something?" **

**"It's you!" Grisha lifted his head, growling at Gross. "Fifteen years ago, the one who fed my eight-year-old sister to the dogs was you!" **

**"Tsk. Let me get him off your hands." Gross stopped the soldier escorting one of the prisoners. "You can head back to the ship."**

**"Um, yes, sir," the soldier said and left. "What was that all about?" **

**"The Sergeant Major wants some time to have fun, rookie," the other soldier said as they left. "It's best to leave it at that."**

"And he has the nerve to call Eldians devils!" Historia sneered in disbelief and disgust. "Why don't they take a good look inward?"

"You overestimate human rationale," Jean said to her. "And everyone likes to have someone to look down on. It makes them feel good about themselves."

**Gross lit his cigarette. "Kruger, are you done interrogating? Let's have that lad dance for us."**

**"Dance?" Grisha echoed, not following. **

**"I remember you now, son," Gross said, the prisoner on his knees before him shaking and crying. "Let's not make you a Titan. I'll have this one turn into a 3-to 4-meter Titan so you can fight him."**

"So you can control the size. As I figured," Erwin concluded, "their size has nothing to do with their age."

Levi, Petra, and Hange felt rather grateful and relieved at that bit of knowledge.

**"Why would you…do something like this?" Grisha asked slowly. "Do you get enjoyment out of people getting eaten by Titans?" **

**Gross took a drag of his cigarette and blew out smoke. "Why, you ask? Because it's interesting," he said plainly, making Grisha stare at him in shock. "Do you think that's a little crazy?" **

"No, I think it's _very_ crazy," Sasha replied.

**"But you know, people actually want to see cruelty." Gross readied an injection. "Peace can be such a wonderful thing, but something about it is lacking. Losing touch with life and death, perhaps? We should live thinking this might be the last day we've got. That's the only proper state of mind for living things. I'm ready to accept it when that day comes for me. That's because I've faced this cruel world head-on and deepened my understanding of it." Gross injected the prisoner without breaking eye-contact with Grisha. The man whimpered in pain. "Yeah… It was educational having my sons' dogs eat your sister."**

Jean growled in anger. "He's just spewing whatever nonsense that comes to him. I can't stand pseudo-intellectual bullshit like this."

"This guy is just a sick fuck," Levi said. "People like him make all kinds of excuses and always rationalize their poor actions with 'logic.' But he can make all the excuses he wants because at the end of the day, it all comes down to one thing: he's a scum-sucking bastard."

**The prisoner was sent off and screamed as he went down. **

**"Do you not feel any remorse?" Grisha moved his eyes from the prisoner to Gross. **

**"Well, I get what you're saying. If something like that happened to one of my sons, it would crush my heart." **

**The prisoner transformed in a bright light and explosion. **

**"You poor things," Gross remarked, bringing the cigarette to his lips. "If only you weren't Eldians."**

**Grisha gaped at him. **

**"Look. That's your people's true form." **

**The steam cleared to reveal the Peering Titan. **

Sasha gasped. She'd recognize that Titan anywhere. _It's the one I apologized to in Trost and Mikasa had to kill it!_ She'd felt so ashamed and disgusted with herself then. It made her feel less crappy now, knowing it was just some poor bastard punished for trying to overthrow an oppressive regime.

**"All it takes is some Titan spinal fluid and you turn into gigantic monsters." **

"So your theory was right." Petra glanced at Hange. "It is Titan spinal fluid."

"I don't know," Hange said slowly and skeptically. "I've been thinking, if it was only Titan spinal fluid then wouldn't Marley's enemies capture one Titan alive so they can use their own Eldians as weapons? They could drain it consistently then send off their Subjects of Ymir to other nations and tell them to turn into Titans and wrack havoc there, else their families back home will suffer."

"It could be the main ingredient, and maybe it gets combined with one or two other components," Erwin speculated.

"Best thing to do is get a live subject for Four-Eyes to cut open and study."

Levi's words made Hange's heart jump both in excitement at the prospect of a new experiment and in dread about dissecting a Titan, knowing it was person once.

**"The world needs to wipe out every last one of you Eldians." Gross glared, holding up a fist. "That's the wish of humanity everywhere."**

"I miss the days when we thought we were all that was left of humanity," Jean said longingly. "I know I say it all the time, but."

Eren had to agree. "I feel the same. I kind of miss when it was just humans vs. Titans and the world was pure and uncorrupt, free for us to explore after we defeated the monsters that caged us."

**"What did you…?" Grisha trailed off. **

**"Of course I don't feel remorse." Gross tossed his cigarette away. "You're the murderers here." He stepped closer to Grisha. "What were you Restorationists planning to do to Marley?" He bent down slightly. "Don't you feel any remorse?" **

**"It's a lie!" Grisha refused steadfastly. "I know the truth! Our founder Ymir helped people prosper on the continent—" **

**"Yeah, whatever," Gross said in boredom, scratching his head. "Since your history is so grand, go and share it with your friend down below!" He grabbed Grisha, forcing him closer to the edge of the wall. **

Despite knowing Grisha would somehow make it to the Walls, they tensed reflexively.

**"Stop it! Don't!"**

**"Hear that?" Gross asked the struggling Grisha gleefully. "Your sister is calling for you!" **

"This man has to be one of the most unpleasant fuckers I've seen in my entire life. And I grew up in the Underground."

"Someone, please, strangle him."

"I'd settle for watching him get slapped. With a hammer. Repeatedly."

**"Dammit!" Grisha screamed, his voice echoing.**

**Suddenly, Kruger was between them, shoving Gross with one hand while his other held Grisha back safely. **

"I knew it!" Jean said triumphantly. "I knew he was the Owl!"

"Are you—of course!" Historia gasped in delight. "He's the only who sent them insider info! And that's why he stopped Grisha from talking about Dina earlier!"

Connie stared at the TV, slack-jawed. "He was really a double agent the entire time? No way!"

**Gross stared at the stoic Kruger in shock as he fell off the wall. He hit the ground and rolled to a stop, his hat falling off. Grunting in pain, he finally noticed the Peering Titan glaring at him. Gross stared at it, mouth open. **

"Eat him!" Petra said without any remorse.

"I can't believe we're cheering a Titan on to eat a person." Sasha threw up her arms. "And I'm all for it!"

"He fucking deserves it," Eren hissed, hopping for a violent and bloody end for his aunt's murderer. "I hope it takes its time and eats him slowly."

**Kruger sighed, taking off his cap while Gross's screams were heard. **

_Music to my ears_, Eren thought happily.

**Grisha watched as the Peering Titan brought the screaming and struggling man closer to its mouth. **

"How fitting that he gets eaten alive." Mikasa was satisfied by the karmic justice.

Connie grinned widely and mischievously. "Even if Titans didn't throw up the people they ate, this Titan would have puked out that guy out cause he's _Gross_."

Ymir let out a groan along with some others. "Connie, that was lame even by _your_ standards."

**"Well? Is it really that interesting?" Kruger asked. **

"He's so cool," Connie said giddily.

**"You're…"**

**Kruger tossed away his cap. "I'm the Owl. Remember this, Grisha." He held a knife to his palm and sliced the skin. "A Titan uses their power like this." **

The teens yelled out in excitement and shouted in surprise. No one had seen that coming.

"Ahh, that was so awesome!" Sasha squealed. "Did you see how cool he was?!"

"Those few lines alone made him so badass," Eren said admiringly. The fact Kruger threw Gross to a Titan to be eaten alive made the man a hero and worthy of praise and worship in Eren's eyes.

"Of course!" Armin slapped his forehead. "He would have the Titan to pass on to Eren's dad!"

Connie pouted. "I am kinda bummed out because it means he'll die."

**Lightning struck down and the soldiers at the wharves cried out in surprise, covering their eyes. Some of the soldiers and crates were flung off by the force of the transformation. **

**Grisha struggled to his feet and stared at the scene before him. **

**The Attack Titan gripped the ship tight and broke it in half over his shoulders. **

"He looks so much like Eren's Titan!"

"I take back all the horrible things I said about you in my head!"

"He just broke a fucking _ship_ over his _shoulders_! Fuck me, if that's not one of the coolest things I've ever seen!"

"Whoa, looks like Kruger will finally give Captain Levi competition for who's the coolest in Connie's eyes."

"To think he infiltrated the Marleyan government and has been orchestrating things from the shadows without anyone being the wiser!"

"Must have been so hard, though. Knowingly torturing some of his own comrades for the sake of the keeping Restorationist group alive."

"I wonder how he managed to stay sane all that time undercover. I wouldn't be able to handle it."

"I can't decide who's hotter," Hange said in agony. "Kruger's Titan or Eren's!"

Petra had to laugh. "You've got your priorities straight, Hange." She paused. "I'll have to go with Eren."

"Oh hell no." Levi stood and made Petra retake her spot by the arm of the couch. "I don't need another maniac Titan lover, especially not on my own team." His truer reason was something else entirely. _She'll want to reach over and comfort Eren._ If his guess was right then in the next episode...

"One thing is almost for certain now," Erwin spoke quietly to Hange. "If Kruger is going to pass down his Titan to Grisha, he'll have to tell him about the Curse of Ymir. Not that I don't believe Ymir, but this way we can make sure it's real and that it's not a misconception or anything."

The amusement drained from her face. Hange sent the younger Scouts a pitying look. "It's going to break their hearts when they find out."

* * *

_Hoo boy, this was a doozy and now the new longest chapter I've ever written. _

**_Please Review~ _**


	9. The Attack Titan

**Chapter 9: The Attack Titan**

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Shingeki no Kyojin

**Previously**: The group worries about the size of Marley's military and the technology of the world. They talk about needing a navy. They're skeptical of the "truths" of Ymir Fritz.

_This chapter took so fucking long. I planned to update hours ago (but then I got hungry and had to make dinner). __But the chapter kept getting bigger and bigger, jeez._

* * *

**A man in a blue uniform screamed as the Attack Titan lifted him. The Titan squeezed the soldier into a bloody pulp. _"The soldiers had their lives squeezed out of them like fruit being juiced,"_ Grisha narrated, _"and their scraps cast into the water."_ **

**On his knee on one of the wharves, the Attack Titan tossed the remains behind him. **

"What do you think Marley thought happened to this ship and its crew?" Mikasa asked. "Kruger is killing all the soldiers so none of them can run back and tell Marley about the Attack Titan."

"Maybe they thought Paradis caught them and sank the ship to defend themselves," Jean answered.

"You know what doesn't make sense to me?" Hange tapped her chin. "The king threatened to unleash the Colossal-type Titans on the world if the continent tried to disturb the island's peace. Yet based on the number of Pure Titans we've seen, it's clear Marley has been coming to our little island and turning Eldians for a very long time now. Weren't they afraid of retaliation? Of the king making good on his promise to send his army of behemoths as vengeance for flooding the island with mindless monsters?"

"I think it's like we just talked about," Petra responded. "We know the potential of the Founding Titan's true power. Though for some unknown reason the king didn't have the guts or he outright refused to bring his people in line as they fought each other after conquering the other nations. He instead decided to pack his shit and grab a small chunk of the Eldian population then move to this island. Clearly he was weak-willed if he couldn't handle the infighting. So Marley would send a ship now and then to punish the traitor Eldians cause they didn't think he'd retaliate. Maybe they were testing boundaries."

"I think you're right," Mikasa said. "They were sending Titans to roam the island but they weren't disrupting the peace of the Walls outright." She wondered if Marley might have stopped turning Eldians after this ship failed to return. _And decades later they sent the four Warriors._

"Although it doesn't explain the kings and queens that followed after the first King of the Walls," Erwin countered. "Why wouldn't _they_ do something? Surely not all of them agreed with this ideology."

"Was it because they decided it was convenient to use the Pure Titans to maintain their power?" Armin provided. "The royal family has been able to keep their power consolidated for over a century now."

"It is a good way to keep people in line by keeping everyone trapped in," Levi agreed. "It's why they didn't like us, the Corps, going outside the Walls and trying to break free of their control. Though they couldn't completely oppose us either for wanting to kill the monsters that would eat people left and right. So they tried using other excuses, like taxes."

**Grisha stood atop the wall, hands still tied behind his back. _"I suppose I should explain what the ocean is." _**

**The sun was setting over the horizon as Grisha continued to stare at the Attack Titan. **

Connie whistled. "Look at that view!"

Historia smiled longingly. "Oh, how beautiful it must look in real life! I want to see it in person!"

"There might be all kinds of delicious fish in there." Sasha's mouth watered at the thought of it._ I bet they taste delicious! _

"I never got the chance to, but it would be fun to build sandcastles on the beach," Ymir said. _I'm adding that to my list of things to do before I bite the big one_.

**"The ocean a body of saltwater that covers 70% of our world's surface."**

"Just like Grandpa's book said," Armin gushed in delight.

"Seventy percent water," Levi muttered in awe. He had a hard time wrapping his head around it. An endlessly open sky and water as far as the eye could see under a bright warm sun, it was almost magical._ If I could have shared it with Farlan and Isabel_, he thought wistfully. They would have been floored at the thought of it.

**The Attack Titan's abandoned body steamed near the wall. Seagulls screeched as they flew through the air over the decaying corpse. **

**Kruger cut Grisha's binds with his knife. He pulled out a kerchief and wiped off the blood leaking from his nose. **

"He got tired after only a single transformation?" Connie remarked, taken back.

"Maybe he's not used to transforming so his stamina is terrible," Petra offered. "Living in Marley, faking being a Marleyan by blood, he probably couldn't afford to practice transforming so he could improve. He had to keep his secret at all costs, especially someone in his job."

"But even the very first time Eren used his Titan powers," Sasha said, "back in Trost, he didn't get tired until after the second time he created that half-formed Titan."

Jean shrugged and said, "Maybe it's cause of his younger age."

Ymir, Erwin, Hange, and Levi remained silent, having a better guess as to another reason behind Kruger's nose bleed._ Could he be nearing the end of his term? _Erwin thought.

**"Owl, just who are you?" Grisha asked. **

**"I am Eren Kruger." **

"Oh!" Petra said in surprise. "It's the same name. He's Eren, too!"

Connie grinned. "No, I think Kruger's Eren One. Our Eren is Eren Two."

Jean's eyebrows twitched. "Connie, shut your damn piehole." Connie snickered as Jean muttered, "I swear, you and your stupid puns are killing me."

"So, I'm named after Kruger, huh," Eren commented, arms crossed, smiling slightly. "He must have left a strong impression on Dad." Eren himself admired the man quite a bit and was honored to have the same name as Kruger.

**"As you just saw," Kruger said, "I possess one of the Nine Titans. In other words, I'm a Subject of Ymir, just like you."**

**"You pretended to be a Marleyan and infiltrated Public Security? How did you pass the blood tests?!" **

**"That was easy enough with the help of a doctor. Doctors make good spies." **

Levi nodded. "That's why they recruited Eren's father. His history made it easy to bring him into the fold." As a former thief, he knew something about the importance of having a medical expert to go to and be treated without being traced. While it hadn't been much of an issue since the MPs didn't come down to the Underground City all that often—not to do their job, anyway—but he'd always been cautious and only dealt with off-the-books doctors.

"Who was the doctor that faked his blood tests?" Hange asked. "That person could be a useful source for us. We don't know anyone trustworthy on the continent."

Erwin shook his head. "This doctor might be dead for all we know. It's been almost two decades."

"It would have been nice if we had contacts in the outside world," Armin said wistfully. "But they all hate us."

**"In all honesty," Kruger said, "you did very well. But in terms of results, Grice had every right to grieve like he did."**

Erwin had wondered what Kruger's thoughts were on Grisha's rebellion. Grisha's plans were half-based at best and it stood to reason Kruger was desperate to help see the plans through anyway, nearing his expiration date as he appeared to be. _He seems too intelligent not to think it all through to the end. But maybe he was just desperate. All the horrible things he probably did against his own people as a Marleyan Public Security officer, even if it was for the sake of the entire race, he just wants it to have meant something._

**Grisha bowed his head. "You're absolutely right. I was a useless father, a useless husband, and a useless man." **

**A few gray clouds floated near the setting sun on the seemingly endless horizon. **

Once again, they were taken in by the stunning sight. This time, the view was unblocked. Grisha and the Attack Titan weren't taking up parts of the frame.

Armin was totally giddy. "That is going to be our reward after we reclaim Wall Maria."

"That water does look really fun to play in," Mikasa said, eyeing the ocean longingly.

Eren was eager to explore the shores. "I wonder what kinds of cool animals we'll find there."

"I wonder what they'll taste like," Connie said, daydreaming about exotic fish.

Though Hange didn't want to put a damper on their mood, she said, "It's going to take some time for us to get there. The battle itself might not take that long, but we'll have to clean out all of the Pure Titans on the island, then get the cities and villages of Wall Maria cleaned up so people can move back in. Once they're settled, _then_ we'll be able to see the ocean."

"It'll be worth the hard work, though," Jean said confidentially.

**"And yet," Grisha said, looking at his bandaged hand, "why am I the only one who remains as a human? Dina was someone special, being a Subject of Ymir with royal blood. She would have brought out the true power of the Titans if you hadn't covered up her lineage. Dina was…" The Smiling Titan's transformation flashed on the screen. Grisha grabbed Kruger's collar. "Answer me! Why did you let only me live?!" Blood seeped into most of his bandages. **

**"Enough. Don't your fingers hurt?" **

**"Thanks so much for your concern!" Grisha smiled ironically at him. "You didn't seem to care so much when you were chopping them off! Well?! Why didn't you transform a few minutes earlier and save everyone else from becoming Titans? Why did you stand there and allow it to happen?"**

"That's a fair point," Petra said, not sure why Kruger hadn't acted earlier. "If Kruger planned to wipe out all the Marleyan soldiers and destroy the ship, why not save more of the Eldians? Then there would have been more people, more allies to help."

**Kruger fell to his one knee, breathing roughly.**

"Looks like he's sick," Jean noted. "Maybe he couldn't easily work up the energy to transform earlier."

"It could be possible that the regeneration doesn't protect you from diseases," Armin theorized. "And that's why he got so winded and started bleeding from his nose after only one transformation."

"You think he's dying?" Sasha asked.

"It would explain why Eren's dad ended up in the Walls instead of Kruger even though he's more qualified," Historia pointed out.

_It's coming._ Ymir thought, feeling her stomach curl in dread. _Should I have told them? Maybe I should have told them_. Wouldn't it have been better coming from her? But a tiny part of her had been hoping, far deep inside, that maybe, just maybe, she was wrong. She hadn't wanted them to worry if it turned out to be nothing. And Erwin had wanted to wait for a good time. _Guess it'll have to be now_. Hopefully, Kruger might have some other insights he could offer. Though Ymir doubted he could pull a miracle out of his ass that would soften the blow of the Curse's reveal was about to deliver.

**"What's wrong?" Grisha's voice was tinged with worry. "Why did you suddenly go pale?" **

**"It wasn't just them. I've severed thousands of fingers from Subjects of Ymir and made them into Titans. Women and children, too. All while believing it was for the sake of Eldia." **

**Grisha listened in a daze. **

**"I don't have much time, Grisha. I'm entrusting you with the final task. Not anyone else. Only you."**

"If only he wasn't dying." Historia sighed. "He could have gone to the Walls himself and shaken things up."

"How it would all have turned out if Kruger wasn't sick and he came to the Walls with Eren's dad?" Sasha thought out loud.

_It's almost painful listening to them think he's sick_. Levi thought. They couldn't even imagine it had anything to do with him being a Shifter. And why would they? One of the best perks of possessing one of the Nine Titans was the amazing healing factor that made it very hard to kill a Shifter and downright impossible to cripple one. But, of course, something immense like the amazing Titan powers came at a cost. Nothing in the world was free.

**Grisha and Kruger sat together, Kruger holding a kerchief to his bleeding nose again. "That day… The day when I first met you, if none of that had happened, you wouldn't have festered enough hatred of Marley to come this far."**

**"Is that the reason you chose me?" **

**"That's part of it." Kruger recalled Gross breaking the news of Faye's death to her family. "The country, your father, yourself, the hate in your eyes was enough to burn the world to ashes." **

**A young Grisha listened to Gross with hatred in his eyes. **

**"I was once like that, too," Kruger said, looking down. "A group of Eldians loyal to the king had formed a resistance on the continent. My father was part of it. However, they accomplished nothing at all and were burned alive." **

**Three Marleyan officers stood and watched Kruger's father be consumed by large flames. **

"That's just—" Historia was too choked up with horror to speak.

Petra couldn't help but shudder. "That must have messed him up so badly."

**Through a small crack in the closet, Kruger watched them in fear.**

Mikasa found herself sympathizing with Kruger—watching in fear, frozen in shock as their parents were murdered. A numbness had settled over her since and she'd never quite recovered, never been able to return to her previously freely happy and open-hearted self. That traumatic experience had done its damage and left a permeant mark.

**"I was so young, all I could do was peek through the closet door and watch. Ever since then, I've sworn revenge on Marley and the revival of Eldia. But all I've managed to do," Kruger lamented, remembering his mournful younger version as he kicked an Eldian off the wall, "is cut the fingers off my fellow patriots, kick them off this wall, and turn them into Titans. It's because of the things I've done that my true identity was never discovered. I'm no different than when I was little. Perhaps I'm still looking at the world through a crack from the closet."**

Mikasa felt sympathy well up in her chest for Kruger. "Shame he'll never know what a big part he played in our survival. If he never gave his Titan to Eren's dad, the Warriors probably would have won when they attacked us."

**Grisha was quiet at first before speaking. "Tell me something, Owl. What mission do you want to give me?"**

**"I want you to infiltrate the society within the Walls and steal the power of the Founding Titan. You'll do it by inheriting my Titan."**

**"Wait, but that means you'll…" **

**"I'll have to be eaten by you as a Titan. You'll take the Founding Titan from its owner the same way."**

**"Why aren't you doing it?" Grisha inquired. **

**Kruger faced him. "Those who inherit the power of the Nine Titans perish in 13 years. I inherited this power 13 years ago." **

"No way," Jean blurted in shock. "No fucking way. No." A familiar numbing shock spread through him. He stared at the TV, stunned. _But…everything was going so well. How could this happen?_ The TV was helping them avoid so much unnecessary death and destruction. _This is…_ How were Ymir and Eren going to get out of this one?

"Ymir," Historia said weakly, grabbing her arm. She was torn between crying and screaming.

"Unfortunately," Ymir sighed, shoulders slumping, "he's right."

"You knew?" Connie snapped his head toward her. "This entire time?!"

"She only found the last time we were here," Erwin quickly jumped in. "She told myself and Hange and I asked her to keep quiet. With the 57th Expedition coming up, I didn't want you all distracted. And we were hoping maybe the TV would either disprove the Curse or provide us a way to avoid it. But if something like that existed, Kruger would have mentioned it."

Sasha's shoulders slumped. "Eight years? That's all the time Eren and Ymir have left?" Her face became pale. "But that's…that's _nothing_." Five years had already flown by. _They're almost in the middle of their remaining life! _She felt sick to her stomach. Despite all the torment the TV caused them, it helped them save each other. _This is something that can't be fixed._

Eren felt panic creep up his spine. "You are _not_ becoming a Shifter," he all but snarled to Armin. "You're not getting almost killed, either." What had Armin said? That he'd be hard to kill now that he was Shifter? Bitter laughter bubbled in his chest and almost slipped past his lips. It curdled when a realization came to him. _Mikasa's probably next_._ I'll fuck up her life someway too. And everyone else in this room_. Before he could fall into a dark hole of misery again, convinced without a doubt he was cursed, he noticed his friends' faces. Suddenly, his pity-party took a backseat.

Mikasa barely registered Eren's hand on her shoulder or heard his concerned words. A helplessness had fallen over her, dulling down everything else. _We got too pampered by the episodes,_ she thought. Faced with a situation they couldn't control or tweak to minimize the damage, with two of their own having an inescapable death sentence, it ripped the life out of her. A cold dread settled into her bones. Small trembles went up and down her body. Experiencing Eren's death once had been horrific enough. It may have been an eye-opening experience about her own inner strength but it wasn't something she wanted to feel again. _I can't take this_. Panic clawed at her chest. Her breathing shuddered, the trembles getting stronger.

"Snap out of it!" Eren tightened his hold on her, the pain pulling her out of her strangely lethargic state. "Are you okay?" He mentally slapped himself. Of course she wasn't okay. If he'd received the same news about Mikasa or Armin, he'd collapse to his knees, his legs failing him.

"I feel like the world just fell out from under my feet," Armin mumbled. He let out a small ironic laugh. "Huh, good thing I'm already sitting." He felt weak and dizzy and his heart pounding furiously and almost unevenly. His breathing came faster and shallower.

"Are you having a panic attack?" Mikasa fretted over Armin. She felt grateful in a way. The urge to take care of Armin overpowered her own need to curl up into a ball and drown in sorrow, steadfastly refusing to accept reality. Sitting between Armin and Eren, she wrapped her left arm around Armin's shoulders. Armin melted into her side. She couldn't bring herself to look at Eren. _Not yet._ It was a new kind of agony, knowing something was slowly choking the life of him but she couldn't beat it with her hands or slice it with her swords. _If I look at him I'll fall apart_. She'd sob uncontrollably, which would make Armin cry, and seeing them break down would make Eren cry and then the entire room would be filled with their tears.

"Your tears will only remind them it can't be changed," Levi warned Petra. "Don't make them feel shittier." She wiped her eyes and composed herself. "Good. Now don't go shooting them sad, pitying looks either. They'll only feel worse. You would too in their place."

Sadness overwhelmed Petra, watching Eren stare anxiously at his friends. He scanned the table before them frantically. Realizing his mind was scrambled and he couldn't find what he was looking for, she poured him a glass of water and handed it to him.

"Thanks," he said gratefully and carefully passed it to Armin.

"This isn't fair." Tears began falling from Historia's eyes. "This isn't _fair_!" She was aware she was sounding like a child but she couldn't give a flying fuck. "Wasn't the whole point of these episodes that we could avoid countless deaths and save as many people as we can?"

Connie felt an usually violent urge. He wanted to throw something. _I've already had to sacrifice my parents_. Why did he have to lose two more people? _Haven't we suffered enough?_ He had already dared to imagine a long-term future for everyone, taken in by the power of the knowledge of the future. Now it felt like something had stomped on his chest, crushing his heart for daring to dream of a happy end for all of them.

Historia's head snapped in the direction of the TV, her expression that of pure hope and desperation all of a sudden. "Maybe Candy will have a solution!"

Simultaneously they stared at the TV, holding their breaths.

Kruger remained frozen on the screen. No cheerful voice greeted them.

"C'mon, Candy, anything?" Jean urged, hoping maybe she'd speak because he was her favorite.

The TV remained silent.

Their faces fell.

A sharp, piercing pain tore through Armin's chest like a serrated knife. He fell back against the couch. Historia's words had shot hope into him, reviving him temporarily. _Shame on you,_ he chided himself._ Eren deserves to fall apart_. He couldn't be the one to come apart at the seams. "I'm alright," he assured his best friends. The weak smile he tried to muster came out as a frown.

"I wish we could do something." Erwin sighed heavily. After all this time and he still wasn't entirely used to losing people. It was so much easier to keep his composure maintained out in battle with blood and torn bodies scattered around. "But this isn't something I can outmaneuver or outthink."

"But maybe—" Historia started.

"It's out of our hands," Ymir interrupted her. "There's no avoiding this thing. Eren and I going to die in less than eight years and there's no changing it." Her voice softened. "Just gotta live every day to our best so we can go without any regrets. That's all we can do."

"We don't want to be sobbed over." Eren looked to Ymir, who nodded. "Let's just move on. There's nothing else we can do. I'm not going to cry about something that can't be changed." Thinking about the Curse would only make their friends sink further into depression.

Eren wondered if Ymir, like him, would let it all out once she was alone. She had mentioned the other day to him that she'd felt lucky to be given a second chance at life and wanted to do the most she could with it. But being given the privilege of seeing and changing the future had felt like a true blessing, forging deep friendships with the others. Eren had agreed with her. It shouldn't have surprised him that just when they'd begun to truly value their lives and wished to forge happy and long futures with each other, fate had decided to spit in their faces and laugh.

Eren wasn't scared of dying, though. What truly terrified him was thinking of what would happen to his friends and Paradis Island once he was gone. The threat of the entire world had been intimidating before, but he'd been confident with his friends and the future knowledge on their side. Now it left him frightened like nothing else ever had, knowing how alone they were against the entire world. _I have to do something. So much of my time has already run out!_ Within eight years he had to find a permanent solution to ensure the island was safe long after he was gone. His hands curled into fists. _I have to make it happen no matter what_. He might die but his friends would grow to be old and wrinkly and die with smiles on their faces as they were surrounded by their children and grandchildren.

* * *

**"The Owl called it 'The Curse of Ymir,'" Eren reported, sitting cross-legged on his bed in his cell. Armin sat at a desk by the bed, writing down what he said. "The founder Ymir lived that long after her powers awakened, so it's only appropriate we live that long, too."**

_But why?_ Hange bit back the many questions on her tongue.

**"I've got 13 years left." Armin stopped writing to look up. "And you…"**

**"Eight years left…" Eren finished in a stoic voice. "Not even."**

Connie felt sick. _That's nothing_. There were so many crazy adventures he wanted to go on with them. So many milestones they had to reach.

Sasha dug her elbow into Connie's ribs. She mouthed "Fix your face" and gave him a pointed look. She fought the urge to look in Ymir's direction. _Seeing you upset will only make her feel sadder,_ she told herself. _Look happy_. That was a tall order at the moment, though. _Never mind. Just don't look like you're going to cry_. It was hard and she had to bite the insides of her cheeks.

**In a white shift and hair still a mess, Mikasa sat at the edge of her cell. "No. This has to be a mistake." **

**Eren and Armin listened to her in silence.**

Mikasa pressed her lips together, trying not to cry. She knew it would only make Eren—and Ymir—feel worse. If she were in their place, she also wouldn't want to have it thrown in her face again and again that her time was limited. She vowed to do many of the things she, Eren, and Armin had talked about. She wouldn't allow Eren to leave without any wishes unfulfilled.

Once when they were kids they had picked what they'd like to spend an entire day doing, promising to do it all together when they were older. Mikasa wanted to sample every single desert in the Walls. Eren wanted to play in the ocean. Armin wanted to lose himself in a massive library. _Eren will nap the whole day while me and Armin read,_ she thought, imagining Eren passed out with a book on his face.

Eren didn't know what Mikasa was thinking about but he was happy it brought a smile to her face.

**"It's wrong," Mikasa said quietly, her gaze sad. **

Historia bit her lip to stop from agreeing with Mikasa. It would lead to the temptation of wanting to pitch a temper tantrum and yell and curse at the sky about how messed up it all was. That would make her feel so much better. _But it'll make them feel bad._ She'd save her fury for when they left the room and take her frustration out on the Titan dummies they used to practice maneuvers.

Peeking at Ymir through the corners of her eyes, Historia swore to cause chaos with her and go on crazy adventures with her. _If Ymir can't live up to eighty, we'll live eighty years' worth of memories in less than a decade._ But along with the fun and wild experiences, there would also be long, lazy days where they could just drink hot, sweet tea and eat cookies and talk about anything and everything or simply enjoy each other's company. _We'll go shopping and bake sweets and prank people and do it all together, _she thought, nodding to herself.

_I know that look_. Ymir wondered what kinds of kooky plans Historia was cooking up in her head.

**After a few moments of silence, Eren continued in the same monotone voice. "If one possessing the power of the Nine Titans dies without passing it on, the power is inherited by a baby yet to be born by a Subject of Ymir." **

Eren was glad to see this new reveal helping get their minds of the Curse of Ymir. He tried not to think about it himself.

"So that's what happens." Hange wrote it down, underlining it several times. "How does it even work? The whole transferring to unborn babies? What happens if there're no more Eldians? If we all died like the rest of the world wants us to, would Titans cease to exist?"

"Probably," Levi said with a shrug. "That's my guess."

**"The only explanation is that all the Subjects of Ymir are connected by something we can't see. Some with Titan powers spoke about seeing some kind of paths. The blood and bones that form a Titan, and at times, even memories and thoughts are sent through those paths." **

"That explains so much," Armin said in fascination. "Where the flesh and blood keep coming from, no matter how much we hack at it. But how did our people get connected? What made it happen? I doubt it was a supernatural evil entity but something preternatural must have taken place. How _did_ Ymir Fritz become the first Shifter?"

"It's something to do with genetics, that's all I can guess. Something in our bodies connects us all." Jean was happy at the distraction pulling Historia, Mikasa, and Armin out of their heads. He'd always been closer to Connie and Sasha himself and didn't feel the wretched feeling the three probably were. But he knew all too well what it was like, remembering Marco's half-eaten body.

**Streaks of bluish-green light ripped across a massive expanse of stars. **

Connie watched the stunningly beautiful landscape in awe. "Whoa, Ymir, isn't that the place you woke up in?"

Ymir was equally astonished. "It is! I thought it was a desert near the edge of the island. It was weird cause I thought for sure I was deeper inland. To think I woke up in that…place where it's all connected." Why, she wondered. _Why was I pulled there? _

**"All the paths cross at a single coordinate. That coordinate…is the Founding Titan," Eren told his father. **

"Eren said only some with Titan powers experience this paths," Hange said. "I wonder what makes our Ymir and those people special."

Mikasa nodded. "Even Eren hasn't been shown to be in that place and he has the Founding Titan."

"Wait, did none of you guys see that?" Petra asked when none of them mentioned it. "Wasn't that Eren just now talking to his dad?"

"No, it was Kruger," Sasha replied.

"But I swear it looked like Eren," Petra said, wondering if her eyes had tricked her.

Armin frowned, tilting his head. "I think I saw Eren too."

"Really?" Connie asked. "I think I saw Kruger. But now I'm not so sure."

"Easy enough to check." Erwin rewound and paused. "That's definitely Eren."

"Does his dad not see the difference?" Ymir wondered. "Or is it just internal? It's Kruger on the outside but on the inside, Eren is also present through this paths thing that's connecting them."

Historia's eyes widened. "You think Eren's eavesdropping on that conversation right as he's telling Armin?"

"It certainly looks to be that way," Erwin said. "And what Eren's saying about the Founding Titan being the point where all Eldians of the past and future are connected, it explains why the Founding Titan can control Pure Titans and the royal family could use it to mindwipe the population."

Levi clicked his tongue. It continued to bother him all the members of the royal family were all too greedy or cowardly to do anything when they had so much power at their fingertips. _Shitty assholes_. But it was also frightening to think one person could hold so much power over an entire race of people.

**"Every single Subject of Ymir is connected to that coordinate," Kruger explained. **

**"Who exactly was the founder Ymir?" Grisha held up his bloodied, bandaged hands. **

**"Under Marley authority, she's a pawn of the devil." An illustration of a little girl with an apple stood before a demon. "During the Eldian Empire era, she was a miracle of the gods." The illustration showed Ymir as an angelic-looking figure. "And some merely think of her as a young woman who made contact with the source of all living matter. Who's to say they're wrong?" **

**"What?" **

"It's like we were thinking," Eren said. "The accounts are biased. The 'truth' changes depending on whose side of history you're looking at."

"Kruger is probably right." Jean himself was more leaning toward the theory of her just being a random young woman that stumbled upon something extraordinary. "Both sides of the story about the founder Ymir are probably a little bit right and a little bit wrong."

Hange sighed longingly. "I just wanna find this source of all living matter and touch it."

"Of course you do, Four-Eyes."

**"There is no absolute truth in this world," Kruger said. "That's the reality of things. Anyone can become a god or a devil. All it takes is for people to believe it." **

**"You're the one who said that Dina had royal blood in her. Was that a 'truth' of yours?" Grisha asked. **

**"Unfortunately, Dina having royal blood was true."**

**"Then why abandon her?" **

**"Precisely because she had royal blood," Kruger replied. "She can't be allowed to fall into enemy hands. It had to be done before Zeke told Marley everything."**

"I'm surprised Zeke didn't tell Marley everything," Historia confessed. "Maybe he held some affection for his mother and had an idea of what they'd do to her. So he tried to spare her that indignity."

"Or," Jean said, having a lower opinion of Zeke, "he didn't want to end up used himself so keeping his mouth shut about his mother's royal heritage was just him protecting his own ass."

**"Even so…" Grisha trailed off. **

**"Even so? Would she be better off giving birth to children for the enemy her entire life?" Kruger challenged and Grisha looked away. "I've done my duty." Kruger pressed a hand to his mouth. "You do yours. Only someone with the power of the Titans is capable of reaching the Walls."**

**"To be perfectly honest, I don't think I'm fit for the job."**

**"You will do it." **

**"Look down there. He was eaten alive by a Titan," Grisha said as Gross's half-eaten corpse was shown, his expression frozen in terror. "And you asked if watching that was interesting? It wasn't interesting at all. His screams of agony were unbearable to hear." **

"Not to me." Eren did not feel the least bit of regret about enjoying Gross's suffering.

"Your father was a doctor," Mikasa said, remembering Grisha's caring nature. "By nature, he's not someone who can bear to see anyone suffer. Not even the despicable bastard who fed his sister to dogs. But we chose to be soldiers in the Corps. We chose violence and bloodshed. Your father is a better man than us, clearly."

"He can keep his moral high ground." Eren didn't care. "I'll keep my less than ethical self." He felt quite happy about Gross's death and he wasn't going to regret not being sad about it. _I'm just not that good a person_.

**Grisha stared at his bloodied hands. "I didn't know any better. If I had known this was the price of freedom, I wouldn't have paid it."**

**"Stand." Kruger stood and commanded Grisha. "Fight! For the sake of restoring freedom and dignity to Eldia. Rise!" **

**"I can't do it…"**

**Kruger pulled out a photo from his pocket and gave it to Grisha. "Look. I brought this from your home."**

"So that's how it ended up in the basement," Erwin said, nodding. "I was wondering how Grisha brought it with him."

"Can you imagine if Eren's mom accidentally found her husband's journals?" Connie asked, smiling when it earned him a snort from Ymir.

**Grisha gasped then squeezed his eyes shut again. "I can't look."**

**"Can't look. Can't stand. Can't fight. Have you no balls, either?" Kruger challenged the downtrodden Grisha. "Did Marley cut them off?" **

**"You can awaken my old hatred of Marley like that. The only thing I can feel now," Grisha said as he wept, "is my guilt."**

**"That's more than enough. The main reason I picked you was because you left the walls that day."**

**A young Grisha and Faye stood looking at the gate leading out of the internment zone. **

**"That day, if you hadn't taken your little sister and gone past the walls, you would've taken over your father's clinic, your sister may have grown up, married, and even had children. But you did go outside the walls." **

**Grisha listened, his breath shuddering. **

**"Since the day I first sentenced my own people off this wall, since the day you took your sister outside the wall, until the day comes when the two of us get what we deserve, we can only move forward. Until death. Even after death." **

**Finally, Grisha swirled his head toward the photo Kruger held. **

**"This is…a story that you began, is it not?" Kruger asked. **

**Little Grisha pulled his sister's hand, leading her toward the gate. **

_Yes, that's how it began. _Eren thought. The pressure of the eight years was already weighing on him._ Dad started it._ _And I'll be the one to end it_.

**Grisha clutched the photograph and stood. The two men stared silently at each other as the breeze ruffled their hair. **

**"There are names given to each of the Nine Titans," Kruger said. "That includes the Titan you will inherit. No matter which era this Titan has found itself in, it has pushed ever forward, seeking out freedom." **

"Eren, didn't you say something like that once?" Armin asked.

"I must have been quoting Kruger without realizing it." Eren touched his head, wondering if Candy had triggered it on purpose on the ninth episode of last season, seeing as Kruger said the quote in the ninth episode now. _Hopefully, she'll awaken more memories in me and Ymir_.

**Sunlight hit Grisha's face and he stared with wide eyes at a Survey Corps soldier.**

**_"For the sake of freedom, it fights."_**

**Keith Shadis brought his horse under control and stared at Grisha in shock, the Wings of Freedom cloak prominent on his back. **

**"Its name is…" Kruger began. **

**"The Attack Titan," Eren finished, holding a hand to his chin. **

Jean crossed his arms. "Anyone else find this weird? First, they're sitting the same way and it looks like Eren's talking to his dad on the wall in Kruger's place. Now Eren's mimicking Kruger's gestures and method of speaking. It's almost like Kruger is talking through him or at the same time as him."

"I don't think it's a coincidence, either," Erwin said. He had a feeling something more was happening. _Let's see there will be more clues_.

**"What are you doing?" Hange asked, standing outside Eren's cell as he spaced off. Levi and Armin stood beside her. Hange leaned against the wall and imitated Eren's posture and grim tone. "The Attack Titan," she said. "Didn't you just do that?" Hange asked as Levi began to unlock the cell.**

**"No."**

**"What?! He did that, right? Didn't you two see it just now?" **

**"Yeah," Armin replied, "but that's not really—" **

**"See?!" Hange exclaimed. "What was that all about, Eren?" **

**Eren continued to stare down with a detached expression. "No, it's nothing."**

**"It's the name of your Titan, isn't it? What were you doing talking to yourself?" **

**"Enough, Hange," Levi cut in. "He's 15 years old. Everyone goes through a phase."**

**"What?" Hange said as Levi finished unlocking the cell. "What kind of phase are we talking about?" **

_Oh just stop it TV-me_. Hange thought. _He just found out he has an unchangeable expiration date_. But she knew herself. Once something got her attention or made her curious, she wouldn't stop poking at it until she had a satisfactory answer.

**"Hange," Armin started while Eren rubbed his hair in growing irritation, "I'll explain to you later. It's not right with him here."**

Armin felt so guilty. He could avoid becoming a Shifter and have the chance to grow up to be old and gray. It was already too late for Eren and Ymir. He could feel the time ticking down slowly and couldn't imagine how they had to be feeling. _Who'll end up cursed in my place_, he thought, another thing adding to his guilt. Erwin had said he had some candidates in mind he wanted to approach about becoming Shifters. Most of them had died originally and would now get the chance to live longer, but it still didn't make Armin feel better.

**"What?" Hange continued obliviously. "What do you mean by that?"**

**"What the hell did you come for?!" Eren demanded, losing patience with her yammering. **

**"Get out," Levi told Eren. **

**"I'm supposed to be disciplined for ten more days."**

**"It's over. Hange just now was punishment enough." **

Hange pouted when they laughed, though internally she was grateful they didn't get sucked into why Armin was trying to get her to shut up.

**"We had a talk with Chief Zackly," Hange explained while Armin released Mikasa, "so don't worry about it. If we jail the heroes who toppled the Armored and Colossal Titan, it kinda sends a bad message, you know?" Eren followed Levi out. "And apparently," she said, "your superiors are just dimwits who let the Beast and Armored Titan get away."**

**"That's not true," Eren said to her. **

**Mikasa stepped out of her cell. Bags were under her eyes and she appeared slighter, an air of tiredness hanging around her. **

"You look terrible." Concern shone on Petra's face. "I'm tempted to feed you and fatten you up."

Mikasa smiled at her. "If it helps, I'm not a picky eater. I'll eat whatever you make."

Sasha raised her hand. "Feel free to feed me, too, please!"

**"Did you lose some weight?" Eren came closer to Mikasa. "We had plenty to eat, though."**

**Mikasa touched her hair, letting her hand drop before asking, "Do you feel alright, Eren?"**

**"I guess," he responded, bringing his hand to his chest. **

**"Let's go." Levi walked away, leading Hange and Armin. "Get dressed quick."**

**"Where are we going?" Eren asked. **

**"To an audience. Her Majesty has come to Trost."**

Levi grunted. "Did that old man Fritz bite the big one?"

Jean smirked and said, "You think the new queen is hot?"

"Really, Jean?" Connie teased. "Isn't that my line first?"

"What can I say, you've corrupted me."

Hange noticed Erwin's eager expression. "What's with that look?"

"You'll understand in a second."

* * *

**A large building in Trost appeared. Inside, Historia sat by a window, dressed in formal military attire. **

"She must have come to see the queen too," Sasha said.

Erwin's lips twitched._ She _is_ the queen._ He was sure. The others were assuming Historia was dressed up for a royal audience, not realizing she was the one holding the royal audience.

"I guess we'll see what you've been up to." Connie's eyes lit up. "Maybe the queen had you assigned to a special mission or something."

"That would be so cool!" Historia said excitedly.

**Historia read the papers in her hands sadly. **

**_"To my dear Historia, as I'm writing this, Reiner stands next to me." _**

**In a dark brick room lit by a candle, Ymir sat scribbling on paper as Reiner stood beside the desk, leaning against the wall, arms crossed. He watched as she wrote the letter. **

**_"It's pretty obvious he's sneaking peeks at my love letter to you. He can be such a creep. No wonder he's single. However, he did promise me he'd deliver this letter to you." _**

"Say what you will about him," Ymir said, "but Reiner does keep his promises and is loyal—if you're on his side."

"He's also a fucking cockroach that refuses to die," Levi mumbled in disdain. The survivalist in him was rather impressed by Reiner's tenacity.

**The Jaw Titan saved the Armored Titan from a group of Pure Titans as they piled on him. **

**_"He says it's payback for saving them that one time. I'm sorry about then." _**

**The Jaw Titan gently wrapped her fingers around Historia's stunned face in farewell, then she turned and ran.**

**_"I never imagined I would end up choosing them over you."_**

"Very poor taste on your part, Ymir," Historia chided her lightly.

"Good thing I didn't make the same mistake twice."

**On horseback, fleeing with Connie's horse next to hers, Historia held out her arm in an attempt to reach the Jaw Titan. **

**Back in the present, Historia stared at the words sadly. **

**_"I'm going to die very soon. But I have no regrets….or so I'd like to say," Ymir narrated, wrapping up her letter, "but there is one thing that still bothers me: I never did get to marry you. Sincerely, Ymir."_**

_We were supposed to become parents and grandparents together._ Sasha thought, her face falling. _Our kids were supposed to be friends and grow up together_.

"You've always gotta sound cool, don't you, Ymir?" Connie said quickly to distract her.

"Damn straight."

"If I knew I was about to be eaten, I hope I can remain half as composed and sassy," Historia joked, willing her eyes not to water.

Ymir could tell by the strain around their eyes they were trying not to get her mind to go to her limited lifespan. It was touching, really. So she laughed and joked along with them. And their smiles became more genuine. It was what she wanted to do most, along with securing their futures, to leave countless happy memories behind.

**Historia placed her hand on the letter. **

**Sparks of golden lightning crackled and she gasped. **

**Images of Ymir's life raced through Historia's mind, from being a street orphan to getting sentenced and turned into a Pure Titan to grabbing Marcel, then ending at waking up before an endless sky of stars with bluish-green streaks cutting through the sky. **

"Did you just use that paths thing?!" Jean said, wondering if Historia could read anyone's memories._ Nah, it's probably just a one-time thing_.

Hange perked up. "Ooh, maybe you're special in a way like Ymir."

_Not quite in the same way._ Erwin thought.

Admittedly Historia thought it was rather neat. And it brought a smile to her face, thinking their bond was strong enough to flow through this strange phenomenon.

**_"All the paths cross at a single coordinate,"_ Eren's voice narrated._ "In other words, that Coordinate is…"_**

**Ymir smiled joyously at the beauty before her, tears in her eyes. **

**_"…the Founding Titan."_**

Jean tapped the arm of the couch. "You know, it does explain how Dina found Eren's house immediately after entering Shinganshina. She's of royal descent and maybe this paths connection led her to where her husband lived. It wasn't just a coincidence that she found the Yeager resident out of all the houses in Shinganshina. The last thing Dina wished for was to find her husband and she was somehow pulled to his home."

"I wonder if that's how Eren found Mikasa, too, by using this paths thing," Petra said suddenly. "Way back in season one, remember? That time in Trost when Eren turned and went to save Mikasa after killing SanTitan."

_Except Eren doesn't have royal blood_. Erwin thought to himself. So how could he use this phenomenon that connected all of them and realize Mikasa needed help? _How did he know exactly where to find her?_ Was it just dumb luck? Or was there something else at play?

**On a stone pillar with brick stairs leading up to it, a bedraggled Ymir was tied with chains. A man stood down before her. **

"At least I'll last longer this time." Ymir meant it as a joke though it came out genuine.

"We'll do all the fun things our TV-selves didn't get to," Sasha promised.

**"What was that?" Historia mumbled to herself, holding up the paper. She tilted her head, studying it. **

**"Something wrong?" Hange's voice interrupted her search.**

**"Uh, no." Historia glanced to her left. "Is that all there was?"**

**"Yes," Hange confirmed, Jean sitting in the chair beside her with his left arm in a splint. A large, dark wooden meeting table with papers was before them. "Of course, I doubt she was able to write anything beneficial to us."**

"You think Historia remembered what she just saw?" Armin asked. He doubted it.

"I'd like to hope so," Ymir replied. "Cause I would have wanted you to know," she said to Historia, "and understand me better. But I think like Eren in the first episode, you might have forgotten what you saw, only having a vague sensation something happened."

**"Was there any secret message only you would know?" Jean asked. "Like a code?" **

**An armed guard stood against the wall near Historia. **

**"I don't know. But I doubt she would do something like that." Historia paused then sighed heavily. "Ymir was such an idiot. A true idiot." She looked out the window. "She would always try to hide her embarrassment." **

_We were supposed to have all of the time in the world._ Sasha clenched her fists. Strangely she didn't feel upset. It was relief and luck she felt instead. _At least we have eight more years this time around. _It was more time now than they originally got. _No squandering it being sulky._ She and Connie were the clowns among them. _We'll keep them smiling._

**Historia's voice shook. "I just never know with you…" Tears fell down her cheeks as they watched. **

"Don't you worry. I'll be wildly and totally honest about my feelings," Ymir promised with a grin. "So much so I'll make you regret it."

Connie groaned. "I feel like I'm going to be made fun of a lot."

"It's your punishment for all those puns."

**A knock came from the door. **

**"We're here," Levi said from the other side. **

**The man guarding the door answered, "Come in."**

**Historia turned her head away from the window, wiping her tears. She went up to the three teens beside Levi. **

**Armin bowed first and said, "Your Majesty."**

**"Your Majesty," Mikasa said respectfully. **

**Eren followed suit and spoke in a rush. "Your Majesty."**

Erwin nodded, satisfied, and watched in amusement as the group collectively lost their cool.

"Historia is the QUEEN?!"

"You're _royalty_?! What?!"

"Dude, that explains SO much! That's why Reiner and Bertolt wanted her!"

"Hey Jean, that answers your question then, huh?"

"Yup. The new queen is totally hot."

"…Does that mean the time I stole bread from you is considered treason?"

Historia herself could only gape open-mouthed at the revelation.

"You look like you saw this coming, Commander Erwin," Petra said, taking in his entertained expression. "Did you already guess about this?"

"I started having suspicions there was more to the story since the third episode of the second season," Erwin told them. "Remember, Hange? How we thought it was weird the way Pastor Nick spoke about Historia."

"I remember." Hange nodded. "I thought something was off too. You mentioned the way Nick spoke about Historia it was like he considered her to be above him in rank."

"The feeling continued to grow stronger and I thought the Reiss family must have connections to the Church of the Walls. No way the Church could grow so strong without influential backers like a few noble families. Ymir also learned about Historia by eavesdropping on members of the Church so there was an obvious connection there."

Eren stared at Erwin with an impressed look. "So you figured about Historia since last season?"

"No, that's just when I started getting a gut feeling about her family. It wasn't until episode five that I thought Historia was not only of royal blood but that she'd also become queen. We were trying to figure out why we only brought one injection when we knew we'd be facing at least three Shifters. Because the Curse of Ymir takes a Shifter's life after thirteen years, the royal family would need an injection with Titan serum. I'm assuming we got it from them."

"Except we should have made and brought more." Hange crossed her arms and looked up. "So either we didn't have enough supplies due to some restriction we're unaware of, or they didn't share the formula with us."

Levi recalled the conversation the veterans had a while back. "Nile, the chief, Pixis, and some of the other military bigwigs were also openly discussing a treasonous subject. I guess this explains it."

"That was another thing that stuck out to me," Erwin said. "Nile was sharing my father's theories with them freely, a subject that as an MP, especially the head of the Brigade, he would have been obligated to arrest someone for."

"Oh!" Connie gasped. "That one time when the TV showed us Historia on the farm! Remember?"

Erwin nodded. "Yes, she was being watched by the MPs. But they weren't keeping her under house arrest or anything like that. They were there to guard the Queen of the Walls."

"Eren must have had to practice a lot to master hardening," Jean said, latching on to another discrepancy he hadn't noticed earlier. "Remember how surprised Reiner was by it? The Royal Government is dragging their feet with us here, but we've been winning and doing pretty well. On the TV, though, we're in much worse shape yet they somehow allowed Eren to practice Shifting over and over so he could master that skill? I find that hard to believe."

"Unless of course one of our own was sitting on the throne and we'd shaken up the government," Ymir finished, giving Historia an amazed look.

Hange held up a finger. "There's also that guillotine-like weapon on Wall Rose. No way would even we, with our current winning streak, will be able to get that alteration made to the Walls. Not with the Church of the Walls holding so much power and thwarting our efforts to get the request passed. Yet on the TV, they had it built so fast—that is if we're correct in our guess it's only been months between the 57th Expedition and the mission to reclaim Wall Maria."

"We've made some vast improvements to our weapons, too," Erwin added. "Despite the fact we haven't made any notable inventions in regards to the military—aside from almost useless cannon upgrades—we've suddenly got Thunder Spears. Where did that technology come from? How did the designs pass inspection and the weapons were manufactured so fast? We'd have needed a lot of funding and support to make that happen."

"Damn, we really need to get Historia on the throne," Jean said. "Our life will get so much easier."

"It'll be hard to defend ourselves properly if our government keeps fighting against us," Mikasa said. "This will open a lot of doors for us."

Historia tried not to show her nervousness. _I can do it. I am doing it already. It's no problem_. Surely it couldn't be that hard if her TV-self, who was about as experienced at ruling—that is to say: no at all—was in charge and the Walls hadn't fallen yet. _That's something._ She probably had advisors she delegated everything to. _I doubt I do everything_. That made her feel better. _And I could always harass the commander into helping me_.

Erwin was extremely excited but held on sharing any more of his thoughts regarding how he wanted to shake up their system. They'd end up in a long discussion lasting hours if they didn't move on now. "Let's keep watching. We can have a meeting later to discuss all the details more thoroughly."

**"S-Stop it." Historia held up her hands. "It's not an official position yet." **

**The three straightened. **

**"So much has happened, hasn't it?" Historia said. "But all I did was stare at the southern sky from within the Walls."**

Historia decided that was probably going to be the worst part of her job as queen.

**"It's an important duty of yours just to stay alive," Armin assured her. **

**"Yeah," Eren said, "that's right."**

**Mikasa grunted in affirmation. **

_I'll have to quit being a soldier_. Historia tried to console herself with the fact she would contribute much more as the queen than as a simple grunt in the military.

**"I'm glad to see you're all acting like usual," Historia said. **

**Mikasa and Armin shifted their heads toward Eren. "I think it's just because it hasn't sunk in for us yet," Eren replied. **

**Hange and Jean straightened the papers on the table before them. "Shall we get this going?" Hange asked. **

**Elsewhere, Sasha sat in a bed by the window, eating an apple.**

* * *

**In a large formal military meeting room, the highest ranking soldiers sat facing the group in the middle. Three tables seating three people were placed before the large desk up at the front of the room. Historia sat in the middle with Zackly to her left and another military official to her right. Two men with rifles stood by the wall behind them. **

**"The Early Life of Grisha Yeager," Zackly began. "The Extent of Our Knowledge of Titans and Their History. Information About the World Beyond the Walls." The three journals as well as the photograph were on the desk. "The only people who know about the existence of these books are those here in this very room." **

**Levi and Hange sat at the first table. Mikasa, Eren, and Armin were sitting at the second table. The last table held Connie, Jean, and Floch. **

**"These were gained by the efforts of nine living Scouts and the 199 others who are not here today. Today, and in the queen's presence, I would like to assess our situation and establish an agreement in terms of our course of action. Survey Corps Commander Hange Zoe."**

**Hange stood. "Sir."**

**"The Scouts have lost a great deal, including Erwin Smith. But in exchange for the many heroes that we lost, we have retaken Wall Maria and stolen the Colossal Titan's powers. However, humanity that lives within the Walls remains in a precarious situation. It would be a relief were Titans the only monsters we had for enemies."**

Levi wasn't one for laughing but if he could talk to his past self and tell him he'd miss having Titans as enemies and his life was going pretty well, his past self would have laughed.

**Eren listened to Hange without reacting, remembering when he and Ymir had been kidnapped and were healing in the trees. **

**_"But instead," _Hange said,_ "our true enemies are civilized humans…"_**

**"Then who's the enemy?!" Eren asked Ymir angrily. **

**_"…or to be more accurate…"_**

**"Enemy?" Ymir asked. "If you want _my_ opinion, it's—"**

**"…the whole world," Hange said to the courtroom. **

**Her words were met with deafening silence. **

_If we can only figure out how to use the Founding Titan's power,_ Hange thought. It would give them a fighting chance even against the entire world.

"You know, watching this makes me feel kind of glad," Eren said, feeling strangely relaxed. "We're in much better shape than our TV versions." He was still stressed about doing something to ensure the island was safe after he died, but he was sure the mental strain his TV-version had to be feeling was ten times worse.

"That's why I always remind myself," Sasha said. "As bad as we might think things are, they could have been so much worse."

**"According to these," Hange started once more, "we're a special race called Subjects of Ymir who can turn into Titans. There's also a belief that we may rule the world again. That's why the world wishes to eradicate us Subjects of Ymir for good."**

* * *

**"If the Founding Titan falls into Marley hands," Kruger told Grisha, "Eldians are done for." **

**"The king in the Walls wouldn't allow that to happen." **

**"The king in the Walls won't fight."**

"Why not?" Connie blurted out almost in a whine.

"Cause he's a wimp," Historia retorted.

**"What?" Grisha asked, confused. **

**"'If once again Eldia is driven to sin, we will perish as it's meant to be. I have made a vow renouncing war with the Founding Titan.' He said that to the royal family on the continent and then closed the Walls."**

"That son of a bitch!" Eren gasped, glaring at the screen.

Levi frowned in irritation. "No wonder the kings and queens following the first king didn't do shit about the Pure Titans, or when Wall Maria was attacked. They couldn't because of that chicken-shit."

"But why not?" Hange was overcome with the urge to learn and know more. "How? I don't understand how the vow he made could affect his children and their children. Is it cause they're his descendants? And it's like a contract that anyone sharing his blood must obey?"

"One thing is for sure," Armin said, glancing at Historia, "the royal family might be of the right bloodline to fully use the Founding Titan's power, but it doesn't matter because they're restricted because of the vow. So they can't have the Founding Titan back."

Historia shrugged, not caring. "Works for me. I'm not interested in getting the Founding Titan."

"And what does he mean if 'Eldians are driven to sin we'll die like we're meant to' or something?" Jean huffed, feeling indignation. "What kind of utter bullshit is that? That's why he sat around his lazy ass and let Pure Titans kill us? Why couldn't he just control his own warmongering subjects?"

"Obviously," Petra explained, a sardonic hint to her voice, "it was easier to deem the whole race a lost cause. Seems he decided all the Eldians should be punished cause he couldn't be bothered to do the hard task of straightening some of his people out."

Levi rolled his eyes. "How convenient that he thinks Eldians should be punished but he, the fucking the king of the Eldians, isn't to be counted among them. Hypocritical bastard."

**"Did he not warn that the Titans of the Walls would flatten the earth?" Grisha pointed out. **

_Flatten the earth, huh?_ Eren thought. _Certainly would solve all our problems._ _But we can't do that, obviously_. There had to be other ways._ Commander Erwin will figure something out_. Though on the chance Erwin couldn't, and maybe if the Corps figured out how to unlock the Founding Titan's full power, then maybe… _It could be a last resort_. Some part of him recoiled at the thought. _Not that I'll do it_, he said to himself. _Just something to keep in mind…_

**"Those words were meant to deter an attack," Kruger explained. "It allowed for a brief time of peace. The king of the Walls stole his people's memories and made them believe humanity perished beyond the Walls." **

_How odd. _Erwin quirked his brows. _Kruger knows about the mindwipe? _Supposedly he'd never even set foot behind the Walls. _Reiner and his group don't show up inside the Walls until decades after this point._ There was no reason for Kruger to conclude the king of the Walls had erased the Walled people's memories of the outside world and made them think they were the last of humanity. _Which raises the question: How does Kruger know what the first king did and the specificities of the lie he made everyone believe? _

**"He surrounded himself with the ignorant and babbled about paradise." **

Again Erwin thought: _How does he know that? _Kruger wasn't of royal blood like Dina, Zeke, and Historia so that it might have given him some insight about the king through the paths. Kruger and the king did not have a connection. _But on the other hand… _His mind began to race, linking together scattered bits of information.

**Their backs to the screen, Kenny stood beside Uri, who sat holding his cane. Uri looked off into the water, his hair gray. **

"Is that supposed to be the true king?" Hange asked in interest, leaning forward. "The one before Historia?"

"I last saw my father five years ago." A crease appeared between Historia's brows. "He didn't look like that. He looked healthy and had a head of dark hair."

"Five years ago is when Wall Maria fell," Armin pointed out. "Maybe Eren's dad ate that old man who's on TV. He must be a relative of your dad's. Uncle Grisha got the Founding Titan from him and then your dad became King of the Walls. Meanwhile, King Fritz remained the puppet on the throne."

_Was that Kenny? _Levi thought. _No, it couldn't be. _Why would Kenny, of all people, work for the king? Why would the king even want a serial killer, a loose cannon like Kenny Ackerman? _Wait, come to think of it,_ he thought, recalling the flashback from a few episodes ago with Kenny lying injured against a tree,_ if he is an associate of the king then that's how we must cross paths again_. Because for Historia to be queen, it meant the previous king, her father, was dead. _And as Armin said, for Grisha to have the Founding Titan to pass on to Eren, he must have killed the old man._ Did Kenny go on to serve Rod Reiss then? Historia was a bastard child. Rod's other children, if he had any, must have taken priority. _Did we fight to put her on the throne?_

Erwin stared between the man who was standing and Levi. "Is he the man you said was your mentor?" Kenny had been shown three episodes ago and Erwin thought it was him. But Levi would recognize him better.

"It is. I'm almost positive."

"Everyone thinks that fraud we've seen sitting on the throne is the king. How did Eren's dad find the real king and take the Founding Titan?" Petra asked.

"You said he was a doctor and he went into the interior all the time, right?" Hange asked and Eren nodded. "Only thing I can think of is maybe he found some clients who knew the truth. We know certain members of the Church of the Walls know some of the truth—the highest and most devoted members at least. Perhaps through them, he found the real royal family."

"Something wrong, Historia?" Sasha asked, noticing her troubled expression.

"That man with the hat…" Historia felt somewhat unsettled. "He kind of reminds me of someone. I think it might have been the same man we saw in the other episode. He was bleeding by a tree."

"I know him," Levi spoke up. "I'm pretty sure it's the same person. His name's Kenny."

"Who is he, Captain?" Historia asked in an odd voice.

"He was my mentor. Why?"

Heads swirled left and right as they looked between Levi and Historia.

"I didn't recognize him a few episodes ago. But now, that height, his frame, and his hat, I think he's the same man who killed my mother."

The group gaped between them.

"Wouldn't surprise me if he cut her throat," Levi said, familiar with Kenny's preferred method of killing.

"H-He did." Historia's face paled. "How did you know that?"

"He was a notorious serial killer once," Levi admitted and their eyes became round. "They called him Kenny the Ripper."

"I've never heard of that name before," Jean said, trying to recall it.

"He was active before you brats were even born. And his hunting grounds were mostly Mitras or the Underground City. Hell, nowadays he's only just a myth even there. So it's not surprising none of you know of him. To be honest, I'm more shocked he's working with the royal family."

"With?" Hange repeated. "Don't you mean for the royal family?"

"Kenny doesn't work _for_ anyone. He got infamous for killing over a hundred MPs." Levi wondered vaguely how much he was tarnishing his image in their eyes, having confessed this violent man had been his teacher. "So you can understand why I'm confused that he'd be helping the royal family and cleaning up their mess." Petra and Hange dug their elbows in his sides. "No offense," he said to Historia. "I just meant—"

"It's fine. I know what you meant."

"Is he as good as you, Captain Levi?" Eren asked curiously.

"I'm sure that old goat can probably still kick my ass. He's the one who taught me everything I know."

As the others shifted uncomfortably in their seats at Levi's admission of Kenny's possible superiority, Sasha laughed nervously. "But we must have beaten him and won. He looked like he was close to death. And Historia is the one on the throne."

Ymir sighed, pinching her nose. "I get the feeling we'll have some shit to deal with between the months leading up to the mission to reclaim Wall Maria."

"We'll have you by our side this time," Connie said, smiling. "And many more allies."

_If Kenny worked with the royal family_, Erwin thought, _why would he try to kill Historia? Who sent him? _Maybe he was sent to get rid of a potential problem in the future. Historia's blood would make her a contender to the throne. _If so, then why did Rod Reiss stop Kenny that day? _It didn't make sense to him.

**Grisha listened without a word as a Kruger said. "A king who can't protect his people is no king."**

"That asshat wasn't even willing to protect his people and made it so his descendants couldn't either," Jean grumbled under his breath.

* * *

**Grisha's face transitioned to Eren's. **

**_"You must find that cowardly king and strip him of the Founding Titan. That is our mission."_**

_It's almost like Kruger was speaking to Eren_. Petra thought.

**Hange glanced back to look at Eren. "Dr. Yeager later achieved his mission and entrusted the Founding Titan to his son Eren. In order to wield the Founding Titan's full power, it must be possessed by someone with royal blood." **

**Historia remembered Freida sitting by the fence, clutching her hair. Eyes glowing purple, Frieda had tears in her eyes, her teeth gritted. **

**"However," Hange said, "even if that person possesses the Founding Titan, they're enslaved by the king's ideals, which only leads them down the path to humanity's downfall. That is the vow renouncing war."**

"Who's that woman?" Sasha couldn't recall the purple-eyed woman though her face seemed vaguely familiar. "And what's with her eyes?"

_She appears to be someone Historia knows._ Mikasa thought. "Do you know her, Historia? The TV seems to be implying she's someone with royal blood."

Seeing Frieda's face brought back a rush of memories. "Oh," Historia said, touching her head. "Oh!" She gasped, eyes wide when it hit her. "That's my sister!"

"You have a sister?" Ymir asked. "Why didn't you mention her before?"

"I'd forgotten…all about her. I can't believe I never remembered her in five years since I last saw her!"

"She must have used the Founding Titan to erase your memories of her." Connie shuddered. "Creepy."

"Hold on," Historia said, squinting as she thought, "I don't understand how I became queen. I'm pretty sure Frieda mentioned having younger siblings. They'd be the legitimate heirs."

"Considering the thirteen years expiration date," Armin said, "it would stand to reason someone of royal blood needed to have several children."

"Hey, wait," Jean said, startled, "so does that mean the person Eren's dad ate wasn't that old man but this Frieda woman? Cause with Hange's words, it's like the TV is telling us Frieda is a Shifter and she's controlled by her Founding Titan."

Levi did some quick math. "If she was alive until five years ago," he said, "and we saw her struggling with the first king's ideology, it means the previous inheritor of the Founding Titan, the old man with Kenny, must have been eaten and Frieda was the one who possessed the Founding Titan when Wall Maria was breached."

"The Reiss children are all dead." Eren stared at his hands, ashen-faced. "My dad killed them all after eating Frieda." The nauseating feeling of tiny bodies being crushed under his Titan's hands sent a shiver down his spine.

Thick awkwardness filled the room at his confession.

Guilt squirmed in Eren's stomach. "I'm sorry, Historia. My dad, he…he tried to plead with Frieda to save his family and Wall Maria but she refused to help. He didn't think he had another choice."

"It's not your fault." Armin came to his defense. "Your father knew there was no other choice considering what Kruger told him about the vow."

"Armin's right," Historia said to Eren, struggling to hold in her feelings at the news of Freida's demise._ Not the time, not the place_, she thought. "I don't blame you either. The only person at fault here is that rat bastard who made the vow that bound his descendants," she growled. Her heart ached at the kind woman her sister used to be before the first king corrupted her. "Otherwise Frieda would have saved everyone, I know it."

Petra frowned as something occurred to her. "Why did Frieda inherit the Founding Titan? Shouldn't it go to her father first? I'm guessing the old man was his brother or his uncle. Rod Reiss should have gotten the Founding Titan after the previous king died then passed it on to his daughter. She shouldn't have been in possession of the Founding Titan this decade."

Jean made a disgusted face. "What a pathetic father. If he had taken the Founding Titan it would have given his daughter thirteen more years to live. What kind of a shitty-ass parent is okay with outliving their own kid?"

_Not that she'd be alive today._ Eren thought. _My old man would have seen to it that day_. Eren understood the logic behind his father's actions, uncomfortable and shameful though it made him feel. _The royal family had to be wiped out. Else if the Founding Titan fell into their hands again and the Walled people were being slaughtered, the Reiss family would have stood on the sidelines twiddling their thumbs_.

"If that's the case, Eren," Erwin said after thinking on it for a minute, "and your father killed all the Reiss heirs, that means Historia is the only one left. What I don't understand is, who was sent to kill Historia five years ago? Her mother I'd understand. But killing the last of the two remaining royals, where's the logic in that? Who ordered it? Obviously not Rod Reiss because he stopped Kenny."

Historia wrinkled her nose. "I'm sure him saving me had less to do with any paternal feelings for me and more about saving his own ass. If he was willing to let Frieda take on the Curse so he'd have more time—because I can't think of any other reason not to inherit the Founding Titan than him fearing a guaranteed 13-year expiration date—then it's more than likely he's pushing off his responsibility to me to save himself more time."

Eren snorted. "Rod turned tail and bolted when my dad was attacking the Reiss family. He's a pathetic coward who was afraid of dying. I'm sure that's why Frieda ended up jumping the line of succession and got the Founding Titan first."

Levi glanced to his right. "You know what that means, don't you?"

"Yes." Erwin nodded. "Rod will come for Historia eventually. It's why he spared her. So if he found Grisha he'd feed him to Historia. With the Founding Titan back in royal hands, the status quo would return and he could avoid inheriting the Curse of Ymir for thirteen more years."

"Why not just have another kid?" Sasha wondered. "Unless he can't."

"That's one possibility. But consider this, creating a new heir and waiting for its birth will take a long time. And there's waiting for the child to grow to an appropriate age to inherit and behave responsibly with something extraordinary like Titan powers. A royal inheritor of the Founding Titan could even erase memories of another royal so Rod would have to take precautions and make the time to mold the child's mind to how he sees fit. That all would take far too long. Hence sending Historia to live under a new name and hiding her from whoever tried to have her killed."

Hange tapped the pen thoughtfully on her notebook. "Rod Reiss must have learned Eren has the Founding Titan when Ymir was taken. The MPs and the Scouts all saw him using the Coordinate's power to direct the Pure Titans."

"Then we have the advantage, don't we?" Petra asked. "This time we didn't run into Dina so Rod and the Warriors can't be sure if Eren's the Founding Titan or another of the Nine Titans. The Warriors at least must consider Eren might be the long lost Attack Titan."

Armin crossed his arms, thinking. "The Warriors could think maybe Eren's family had the Attack Titan and were secretly hiding out on the island the entire time. Rod Reiss might not know the man who attacked his family and ate Frieda is Eren's dad. Otherwise he would have come after Eren years ago. It was originally reported that Eren got his Titan powers from the injection his father gave him. So if Reiss dug into Uncle Grisha, he might have learned he's from outside the Walls. So he can't be sure if Eren's dad's just a defector Shifter from Marley who came to hide out here or if he's also the man who ate the Founding Titan. Because he doesn't know how many Warriors came to the island five years ago."

"But still," Connie said skeptically, "shouldn't they have come after Eren anyway? Why would they need to be sure he's the Founding Titan before nabbing him? Why risk it? I'd just go for it."

"They did try to sneakily take him," Erwin spoke up. "People might have been skeptical about Eren in Wall Sina, but in Wall Rose he was already seen as the hero who saved Trost. He led to humanity's first victory against the Titans and had become a public and popular figure so Rod couldn't act too rashly. He had a safe option available anyway. If Chief Zackly had handed Eren over to the MPs, who wanted to do experiments on him, the Royal Government could have claimed Eren died during some procedure to hide the fact Rod probably had Historia cannibalize Eren. By some chance Eren turned out not to have the Founding Titan, it was no big loss for Rod. Eldians can hold more than one of the Nine Titans concurrently. And the royal family having the wrong Titan was better than having no Titan at all."

"I suppose that means we can safely assume Chief Zackly is not an ally of Reiss's since he gave us custody of Eren." Hange already had Zackly listened under Possible Allies and put a star next to his name.

"I think we've spent enough time on this," Levi said hurriedly before they went off on another topic. "Let's finish this episode."

**"But even so, Eren was able to control Pure Titans in the past to escape a dire situation. So it may be possible even without royal blood for Eren to wield that power as well."**

**_That's right._ Eren thought. In a flashback, he stood before Mikasa and punched the Smiling Titan. _Back then for that split second, it felt like everything connected. Why?_ Eren wondered, remembering how lightning had sparked when his fist met the Smiling Titan's palm. _Why did it only last an instant? _**

**His eyes began to widen as the realization hit him. **

Instinctively they leaned forward, pulled by his expression.

**"My name is Dina Fritz," Dina introduced herself. "I'm a descendant of the royal family."**

**"It can't be!" Eren screamed, shooting to his feet and hitting his hands on the table, causing Hange to jump. **

Connie squawked and hid his face. "I'm embarrassed from over here," he groaned.

"I'm not sure I follow," Jean said. "Did it have something to do with Dina's Titan?"

"Is it about—" Armin started but Hange shushed him.

"Shh!" Hange stared intently at the TV. "I'm sure he'll mention it."

**Armin stared at Eren. Floch, Jean, and Connie also gaped with open mouths. **

**Levi and Hange turned to look at Eren. **

**"You scared me. What was that about?" Hange asked. **

**"U-Uh…" Eren stuttered, unable to answer. "I-I…"**

**Historia watched curiously. **

**"I just…" Eren fell quiet, Mikasa and Armin looking at him in surprise. **

Petra was puzzled by Eren's stuttering. "Why isn't he telling them?" Obviously he had put something together.

Hange's mind raced, putting together the clues. "Just wait," she said grimly. "I think I know why." But she wanted to see if Eren was thinking the same thing. _If I'm right…_

**"Please continue, Titan of ours," Zackly encouraged him. **

**Eren looked at Mikasa, glancing away when she met his gaze. "It's nothing," he said and sat back down. **

**"Huh?" Levi said, confused by his behavior. **

**"I'm sorry for interrupting the meeting," Eren apologized.**

**Everyone was quiet until Hange finally spoke, observing Eren glaring down at the table. "Ah, I see. Okay." **

**Eren lifted his head. **

**Hange addressed the desk up at the front of the room. "He seems to be going through a phase where he thinks it's cool to suddenly shout or talk to himself out of the blue." **

**"Ah, is that so?" Zackly commented lightly. "That's unfortunate. He's that age, I guess."**

"I'm still feeling the effect of that secondhand embarrassment," Connie said, his cheeks tingling.

_Whatever he realized_, Jean thought, unease rolling through him, _must be severe enough to warrant no shame at his sudden outburst, about what everyone must think of it._

**"Eren," Armin said quietly. **

**_I didn't tell anyone, even these two… _Eren thought, glancing at Mikasa again. Mikasa stared back at him. _…that the Titan who killed my mom and Hannes was actually someone my dad was married to before_. Eren looked at Historia. _After all, if I were to tell them…_ Eren frowned at the table._ If I were to touch a Titan that carries the blood of the royal family, there's a possibility that I'd be able to use the Founding Titan's powers. But it's just that. A possibility._ Eren stared at Hange's back. _But if I told everyone about it, what would they do to Historia? _**

**Armin continued to stare at Eren as he frowned at the table. **

"I wouldn't mind being a Shifter," Historia admitted honestly. "And no," she said to Ymir when Ymir opened her mouth, "like I've said before, this isn't me being nice so everyone will think I'm such a good girl and how useful I was. I mean it genuinely. I love you all and I want to protect you. This is something only I can do and I'm willing to do it."

"Eren," Levi said, "I can't believe you're holding back information that could change everything for us. Besides, shouldn't you let Historia decide for herself if she wants Titan powers or not?"

Eren shrugged. "Look, if Historia wants to become a Shifter, that's her choice. I'd rather she didn't, obviously, cause I want all you guys here to live long lives. But it's my TV version's choice to share his theory that would ruin her life. The only real option the military will think they have is to make Historia become a Shifter and shorten her lifespan so they'll pressure her to do it. Even if it is something she'd choose freely for herself, it won't stop there. Her children will also be used as sacrifices because of the Curse. Giving birth to children only to have them inherit the 13-year death sentence is too fucked up. That'll be on me. So I'm keeping my mouth shut."

"And it was only a theory," Jean said. "What if he was wrong and Historia ended up with a slow death sentence because Eren blabbed too causally?"

"Eren's right, Historia," Ymir began somberly. "You can choose to be a Shifter, but then your children might get swept up in the mess too. The Curse of Ymir kills Shifters in thirteen years, which means you'll have to constantly have children, only for many of them to die after inheriting the Founding Titan."

"Unfortunately, it's pure and simple logic." Petra held up her hand. "A handful of royal lives vs. hundreds of thousands of people living in the Walls. It'll be easy math for the higher-ups." Historia was a person to the group present in the room but to the top the military brass, it was a numbers game.

"What are you all being so serious for?" Erwin asked, calm and amused in face of their uneasy mood. "You do realize there's already a Shifter with royal blood we can use so Eren can activate and use the Founding Titan's full power?"

"Zeke, that stupid, beautiful monkey!" Sasha slapped her forehead. "I completely forgot about him!"

Jean exhaled in relief. "Our TV-selves are screwed cause Zeke got away but _we_ can capture him. There's no need to turn Historia into a Shifter with him still around."

"Wow, I can't believe I'm actually feeling happy about that asshole right now," Connie said, half shocked.

"And there's Dina Fritz too," Armin reminded them. "She might be the safer option. She's still out there somewhere." Unfortunately, they'd yet to find her Titan. _Maybe we should halt any further expeditions until Historia is queen._ Then they could leave and focus their missions only on finding Dina's Titan until they caught her.

"We can feed Annie to Dina and that way," Erwin said, "not only do we get a royal Shifter on our side, but we'll be able to save the injection with Titan serum for Reiner or Bertolt to take one of their Titan powers. Zeke, I think we should capture so we can interrogate him. He is their war chief so he's bound to have good information that may prove to be of use to us."

"He should have updated information about Marley and the rest of the world," Mikasa agreed. "He can't be the man in charge of the Shifters, Marley's best weapons, and not know about the standing of the rest of the world. Even without that, he should know more about Marley's strengths and weakness, their enemies and allies. And all the important people and who they are."

"Zeke has a soft spot for me," Eren added. "I might be able to use it against him. I do have a better idea of his personality and know his history. I know how and why he thinks the way he does. It'll help me to try and get information out of him."

"Ah, so many ideas and good pieces of information," Hange said, writing it all down. "I can't even imagine how we managed without the TV. I feel so spoiled!"

* * *

**On his feet, Kruger inserted a needle through the stopper of a small glass bottle. "Have a family," he said, filling up the syringe. **

**Grisha was kneeling on one knee by Kruger. "What?" **

**"After you enter the Walls, build a family." **

**"What are you talking about? I have Dina… Won't I forget the things you tell me just before I become a Titan anyways?" **

**"That's not always the case. And someone may see it later."**

**"Eh?" **

**"Whether it's a wife, a child, or one of your neighbors. Love someone inside the Walls. If you can't do that, it'll only repeat." Kruger stepped closer to him. "The same history. The same mistakes. Over and over. To save Mikasa, Armin, and everyone else, you must see it through."**

"Huh? Wait a second!"

"What? WHAT?"

"He said Mikasa and Armin!"

"Oh, I don't get this…"

"Why does Kruger know their names?!"

"Fucking hell all the reveals are killing me."

"This is just…I don't even…I'm so lost…"

**Grisha turned his head back. "Mikasa? Armin? Who are they?" **

**Kruger stared into the setting sun. "Who knows? I'm not sure… Whose memories are those?"**

Connie clutched his head. "I'm so confused. Somebody explain what's going on!"

"I wonder if the Attack Titan can see into the future."

Eleven pairs of stunned eyes flew to Erwin.

Eren's eyes bulged out of their sockets. "It can _what_?"

"Some things have been bugging me and it got me thinking. It's more of a guess than anything."

"What things, Commander?" Petra asked.

"For one, how does Kruger know the first King of the Walls erased the memories of the people living here? At that point, no one from the outside world had set foot behind the Walls. It was Marley's desperation to grab at our precious resources that made them send the four Warriors in 845. But that happens much later. And Kruger seemed to know how the current king was babbling about a fake paradise and what the current king was supposedly thinking. What he was deluding himself with. How does Kruger know what Kenny and the old king looked like?"

Eren nodded slowly, already starting to believe it. "It's been driving me, Armin, and Mikasa crazy what we saw in the first episode. We couldn't figure it out. Some of the memories must have been from my dad's childhood. There was an image of a fly in a human eye. It could have been my aunt's dead body. And there was my mom's death. I saw it happen before the Colossal Titan showed up." It had to be the influence of the Attack Titan, didn't it? What else could it be?

"We've got two people who saw things that hadn't taken place or possessed knowledge of individuals not even born yet. Eren and Kruger, what do they have in common?" Erwin asked. "Aside from their first names, Connie."

Connie chuckled sheepishly, called out before he could make his joke.

"The Attack Titan," Mikasa answered. "They both possess the Attack Titan."

"Huh. Remember how it looked like Eren was sitting and talking with his dad for a second?" Armin asked. "And how Eren was imitating Kruger's body language and tone in the cell? It's like they were swapped. Or both existed in two places at once—the past and the present—in their own bodies and each other's bodies."

"My head is spinning," Sasha groaned, unable to keep up with their fast-paced thinking.

"Same here," Connie said. "I'll just leave the thinking to them."

"When he was about to inject me with the Titan serum," Eren said, "my dad said to me that to save Mikasa, Armin, and everyone else, I had to learn how to use the powers. But my dad's met them. Yet Kruger told him the same thing just now and he doesn't even who they are. He must have seen into my memories."

Ymir brought her hand up to her chin. "He said that phrase without thinking. It's just like when Eren and I sometimes babble things, then realize we've said something that we shouldn't have known or doesn't make sense until later. But whereas we get random information popping up in our heads from previous Shifters, with Eren and Kruger they're getting knowledge from an inheritor in the future."

Mikasa frowned, still confused about something. "But in the first episode, Eren wasn't a Shifter yet."

"That," Hange said, "might have something to do with him being the eventual inheritor of the Founding Titan also. Though I'm just wildly guessing here. I mean we know the Founding Titan is the Coordinate where everything is connected. That Coordinate is inside Eren, who also has a Titan that can maybe see into the future. Maybe some…mumbo-jumbo happened and Eren received memories from the future."

"Mumbo-jumbo?" Levi repeated, his tone indicating exactly what he thought of that. "That's awfully dumb for a scientist."

"Well, I did say I was throwing out a wild guess."

"I might be thinking too deeply into this," Petra started, "but I swear it almost seemed like when Kruger was telling Grisha to find and take the Founding Titan from the king it was almost like he was talking to Eren in a way too. Of course, it might just be because of the way the TV changed from Grisha's face to Eren's. So it could be me overanalyzing nothing. But, I don't know, maybe it supports what Commander Erwin was saying about the Attack Titan's special ability? Kruger may have accidentally eavesdropped on a conversation from the future but forgot it and then he doesn't know why he knows something."

"When we were talking about paths earlier," Erwin said, "you mentioned how in Trost Eren seemed to one, know Mikasa was in trouble, and two, just happened to show up at her exact location when she needed him. But without royal blood, Eren couldn't have used this paths method to locate her. Was it possible Eren knew where to go because through his Titan he knew from his future self's knowledge he had to find Mikasa and where to find her?"

"It's official," Historia declared. "I'm lost. Someone write everything down and make a clear diagram for me."

Several people spoke at once, "Yes, Your Highness!"

They laughed when Historia started blushing.

"Oh, stop it, you guys!"

Ymir elbowed her. "Better get used to it, Princess."

Historia covered her face and shook her head.

Hange opened her mouth, a gleam in her eyes, but Levi waved a hand. "We'll have time to speculate later. What do you say, Erwin?"

The commander nodded. "Let's finish this and see if there's any more insights or information left. I brought it up but since I'm not all that convinced of it, let's also keep an eye out for anything that supports or destroys my theory."

* * *

**AO3 Username:** ii_Phoenix_ii

I just made the account the other day so I'm still figuring out how the site works. I'll probably start uploading in a couple of days with PTS and try to put up a chapter each day. I'll be able to go through all the chapters one by one and edit them to clean up errors, fix any plot holes that might have formed, or tweak any reactions.

**_Please Review~ _**


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